


Being Human

by Erekio



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Being human sucks, Chapter 8 and 14 are rated M for gore and abuse, Gen, OTH!, Oh the Humanity AU, Snatcher is NOT FINE, The rest of the fanfic is rated T, You can skip those chapters if they make you uncomfortable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 68,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erekio/pseuds/Erekio
Summary: "It was too much for Snatcher. He had no idea what was happening, what was going on around him. He felt something pounding inside him, fast, with a panicked rhythm. His horror came back at full force when he understood what it was.This was his heart, beating inside his chest, defying every possible logical explanation.The ghost had come back to life."Snatcher breaks a Time Piece and has to face the consequences.Based on the "Oh The Humanity" AU by doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
Comments: 215
Kudos: 475





	1. “What did you do to me?”

**Author's Note:**

> New fanfiction ! I wanted to try something completely new and... Here it is ! I hope you'll like it !  
> Don't hesitate to tell me if you liked this first chapter ! I have two more finished, but I want to try to keep a few in advance !
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Becoming a human again was certainly something Snatcher would have never expected. If he had to be completely honest, if someone had told him it would happen to him, he would have probably laughed in their face… And would have eaten their soul afterwards. However, his afterlife had been nothing but a mess since the moment those brats had come into his life. Fallen from the sky, just like their magical hourglasses, those kids had made his life pure hell. Just like his usual victims, the spirit had forced them to sign his contracts, giving up their souls to him. At first, everything was going well, except for most of their pestering… But then, when the time had come to kill them, the ghost had made a _huge_ mistake.

He had forgotten how truly _magical_ those Time Pieces were. When the kids had defeated him, crushing his pride as he was forced to hand over his last time artefact… The shade had thrown it to them mindlessly, just thinking about how he wanted them to leave him alone. However, what he didn’t expect was to hear the sound of breaking glass as the item hit the ground. The kids’ face crumpled as the noise echoed all around them and, soon, a white flash blinded the trio. An overwhelming sound resonated in Snatcher’s mind, like a ringing noise becoming louder and louder. His ghostly form was suddenly submerged by a lot of unknown sensations as it started to distort itself. It was weird, it was unpleasant and it was _painful_. A scream left his mouth as he felt his spectral body changing on its own, making him suffer greatly. It felt so much different than the pain he had experienced while fighting the two children… And yet, somehow, it all felt _terribly familiar_.

The shade’s body hit the ground, falling after he had stopped floating in the air for some reason. His mind was full of static noise and he barely registered the pain because of it. He couldn’t help but curl up and tremble while he was drowning under so many new sensations. He was probably pathetic, yet the spirit didn’t care. This was _absolute torture_ , it was too much, _too much_!

His hands grabbed his head, trying to cover his ears as a desperate attempt at blocking the ringing noise. But then, the ghost froze completely. His… _Ears_? The thought made his entire body grow cold, but it was nothing compared to the realization that his fingers didn’t meet his spectral form.

_Instead, they met soft and curly hair_.

The shock was enough to bring Snatcher back to reality. He opened his eyes despite the pain attacking his brain and nothing, _absolutely nothing_ could have prepared him for what he had to see. He was lying on the ground, shaking like a leaf. He brought back his hands to examine them and oh- those weren’t his hands. An expression of complete horror appeared on his face as he observed the meaty hands in front of him. When he bent each one of the fingers, his terror intensified: _he was controlling them_. They were connected to arms, meaty arms, which were both connected to him as well. His entire body had nothing to do with his ghostly form anymore. His tail had disappeared, replaced by two _legs_ he couldn’t control very well.

Oh God, no, no, _no_ , this _couldn’t_ be happening. A cry left his mouth and, soon, a burning sensation erupted inside of his chest. Panic settled over him as he grasped at his sides, not knowing what could possibly hurt him _so much_. He felt like he was dying, _again_ , it hurt, it hurt so much, _oh God_ …!

He suddenly felt two small hands grab his shoulders - _ah, what a funny thing to have in the afterlife!_ -, shaking him back and forth, as a voice forced him to focus on the present. He barely heard his name and other words he had trouble to understand.

-“Breathe!” the voice said, but Snatcher didn’t hear it right the first time. All he knew was that it hurt, it burnt, it was compressing his chest so, _so much_. The shaking became stronger, faster, and soon, the ghost’s attention turned to the person who was ordering him to breathe. His eyes widened when he saw the hatted brat, crying as she was holding him. Behind her, the shade could see her best friend, looking panicked. When the spirit’s eyes met hers, she quickly joined her hatted friend and, soon, the ghost felt her hands taking his.

The contact was so strange, so soft, so warm…!

-“Snatcher!” screamed the other little girl as she shook him even more: “Open your pecking mouth and _breathe_!”

The pain was unbearable but, somehow, he finally managed to understand what she was trying to tell him and, not thinking anymore, he just opened his mouth. Survival instincts he thought he didn’t have anymore took over, pushing his rational mind on the side as air filled his lungs. It was weird, it felt strange, it felt so _unnatural_ , and yet… It eased the pain in his chest. The ghost’s stare was lost into space as he felt his body acting on its own, trying to survive.

It was too much for Snatcher. He had no idea what was happening, what was going on around him. He felt something pounding inside him, fast, with a panicked rhythm. His horror came back at full force when he understood _what_ it was.

This was his heart, beating inside his chest, defying every possible logical explanation.

_The ghost had come back to life_.

Snatcher’s panic was at its highest when the realization hit him hard, like a violent wave knocking him down: he was _alive_. The thought seemed so _absurd_ , so _stupid_! How could he be _alive_ when he knew _very well_ he had _died_ hundreds of years ago? _He was there_ , he could testify! And yet, here he was, rocking back and forth as he kept breathing, with a chaotic rhythm.

Everything was just so _unbearable_. The contact of the clothes against his skin, the feeling of the air caressing his face, the touch of the kids on his body, the feeling of the air passing inside his throat as he filled his lungs, the smells of the forest… He could feel his heart pounding in his chest repeatedly, loud and hard, the pulsations spreading everywhere in his body, but mostly his temples. It hurt so much. The ghost felt like someone was hitting the sides of his brain with a bat, again and again and _again_ … Each sound he was hearing intensified his suffering and, soon, he had to close his eyes, unable to bear any more sensations. The gesture was so _foreign_ to him and was mostly done on instinct. Knowing he had eyelids again… This seemed like a detail and yet _it was not_. As a ghost, when he closed his eyes, it was just _black_ , _pure darkness_. Now… He could see the light passing through the thin skin of his eyelids.

He was still seeing _something_. _It just never stopped_.

Saliva was piling up in his mouth and he had no idea what to do about it. The idea of having a whole mouth again, a tongue, teeth, a palate, a throat…! It was absolutely _surreal_. Well, the whole situation was, in fact.

The thought made him freeze suddenly: _why_ did it happen in the first place? His eyes glanced everywhere, trying to find an explanation. As for his mind, it was trying its best to ignore all the new feelings he was experiencing, including the sensation of his eyes moving around. It felt so foreign, so… _Disgusting_.

His eyes fell on the broken Time Piece on the ground and, all of a sudden, _everything just made sense_. _How_ did he not understand right away? He wondered, fear and confusion quickly replaced by rage and anger. He lifted his head, staring at the little girls comforting him, clenching his teeth as a single thought echoed in his mind.

_Of course, it had to be their fault_.

-“What-” the ghost coughed, the saliva in his mouth entering his throat in the wrong way. He had to spit what was left in his mouth to the ground, having _no idea_ how to swallow yet. The kids were watching him carefully, a look of worry and fear on their face as he started to speak again, his voice very low: “ _What_ did you _do_ to me?”

His throat vibrated as he said those words, almost making him cough again. It was just so weird.

In front of him, the kids looked at each other with confusion, as if they didn’t understand what he had meant. Snatcher’s rage grew at the observation: oh, so they didn’t get what he was asking? _Then he would make them_ , he thought, threateningly.

-“I _swear_ …” he started once more, a growl in his voice, glaring at the children with fury: “If you don’t tell me _what_ happened or even _try_ to reverse this whole thing… I _will_ kill you both.”

A look of realization crossed the kids’ features at his words. The bow-wearing kid frowned, ready to talk back, but the hatted brat cut her short, even more outraged than her best friend:

-“I’m _sorry_? _You_ broke the Time Piece!” she retorted, letting go of him and placing both of her hands to her hips: “ _We_ didn’t do anything!”

-“You know,” added the other child, in a calmer yet judgemental tone: “you could have given it to us _directly_ instead of throwing it over like that…”

The ghost clenched his jaw harder. Oh, so this was _his_ fault? He let out a dark and raspy laugh at the idea. _How hilarious_. He opened his mouth again to talk, but another fit of coughing forced him to clench his sides. _It hurt_. Everything was so intense, so overwhelming, so loud, so _painful_. He didn’t feel any of that when he was dead! And now it was just so deafening, so _crushing_!

-“Change… _Change it back_!” he ordered, having to spit more saliva to the ground not to choke himself with it again. His voice sounded _so different_ to his usual one. First of all, it didn’t have any echo, and second… It sounded _much too familiar_ to him.

It sounded just like when he was alive. Which… Was now the case, again. The thought made him _sick_. He pleaded any God listening to make this moment as short as possible. He just wanted to be back in his old spectral form, the one he was used to, _the one who he felt safe with_.

In front of him, the kids frowned, as a look of awkwardness appeared on their face. This made the ghost _terribly uncomfortable_ because it just gave him a very bad feeling about his current situation. They both turned to the Time Piece behind them, which wasn’t broken anymore. When the brats glanced back at him, _somehow_ , the spirit had already guessed what they were about to say.

And he really, _really_ didn’t want to hear it.

-“We…” stuttered the older child, the hatted one, as she was looking for her words. She didn’t seem to find them and her best friend took over, trying to find the best way to announce the bad news to him:

-“We can’t... I’m sorry,” she said, softly, putting her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently. It felt _awful_ , the contact was too strong for Snatcher, It was too sensitive, he could even _hear_ the rustling sound of the fabric against her skin! It was loud, _too loud_.

The words hit Snatcher like a wave, like a violent wave crushing all his hopes down to _nothing_. They couldn’t. That’s what they had replied to his wish to go back to normal.

_They couldn’t_.

A nervous laugh left his lips as his brain slowly registered what it _all_ entailed. His laugh quickly died as his mind conjured Moonjumper’s face. Oh, God, how was he going to explain this to him… They didn’t have the best of the relationships and, well, the shade was mostly at fault for that. He had always disliked the other, not knowing exactly _why_. Perhaps it was because Moonjumper had stolen his body, perhaps it was because the latter had his memories yet wasn’t him. Or, perhaps…

_He just hated to look at another version of himself_ , one that reminded him of his _awful_ and _terrifying_ past. How _ironic_! Now that he was back in his old body, _fully alive_ , the situation had changed completely!

The spirit didn’t really want the other to see him like this now. He was already dealing with too many things at the moment…

Another thought hit him: what about his minions? How would he even explain that to them? How would they react? They were all a bunch of _dead kids_ , who knew how they would react! There were _so many of them_ and he had _no idea_ how much they would freak out over this whole situation. As for him, he was freaking out _a lot_. However, another face came to his mind and his became deadly pale.

_Vanessa_. If he was alive again, he wouldn’t have any powers to fight back against her and the spread of the ice to the forest… _This was an absolute nightmare_ , this couldn’t be happening, this just _couldn’t_ be happening!

His breath rhythm quickened as he started to hyperventilate. His heartbeat followed his panic and he couldn’t help but bring a hand to his chest, grabbing at the fabric of his shirt. A feeling of utter distress engulfed him as he felt an immense fear settling over him. Oh God, what was going to happen now that Subcon was defenceless against the one who had _murdered_ everyone? How would he be able to protect Subcon Forest in this _useless_ and _meaty_ body? He didn’t have his powers anymore, he could feel they were gone! All the souls he had consumed had vanished, as if he had never eaten any! He just felt his heart _pounding_ in his chest, heard the same and awful ringing sound in his mind as it was blinded by so many sensations again. His muscles were growing cold from the shock and he started to tremble again.

_This just couldn’t be_.

He felt his body being shaken back and forth again, forcing him to pull himself together. In front of him, the older hatted brat was staring at him, worried, just like her younger friend, who started to rub his shoulder again.

-“Snatcher! Snap out of it!” said the hatted kid, very much afraid for him.

-“No…” he murmured, anger slowly replaced by despair: “No, no, _no_!” he screamed, hating how much his voice sounded so _unnatural_ and _human_ contrary to his _usual_ one: “I _can’t_ be alive again! I _can’t_ be like this!” He yelled, gesturing at himself with a mix of horror and _disgust_. Snatcher needed to be _dead_ in order to protect Subcon. If he was a human again… How would he be able to fight against Vanessa? Against her magic? Even the littlest problem would become a dangerous threat for the entire forest if he wasn’t there to protect it!

_This was the worst possible scenario_.

-“I’m sorry…” sympathized the bow-wearing child, still rubbing his shoulder as a way to comfort him. The hatted one was just staring at him, visibly upset, feeling hopeless.

Snatcher shut his eyes hard and clenched his fists, before stopping quickly: the sensation of his nails penetrating his skin was just awful and painful. Everything just hurt _too much_. Slowly, he felt something leaking from his eyes and he brought his hands to his face, not knowing what it was at first. When his fingers touched his wet cheeks, the realization hit him: he was _crying_. He, the _powerful_ soul-stealing ghost, who had killed _hundreds_ of people in _centuries_ , was _crying_! This was just _hilarious_. How _ironic_!

… How _pitiful_.

He let out an insincere and dark laugh at the thought, but it soon transformed into disgusting sobs. He could feel his nose getting stuffed up from the crying and there was a lump in his throat. He tried to stop himself from sobbing even more, because it was just _ridiculous_ and it would absolutely not help him the sightless… Yet, he couldn’t help but let other tears roll onto his cheeks. They were so cold on his skin, even more as the wind caressed his face again.

Why? _Why_ was this happening? Why did it have to happen to _him_?

More sobs left his mouth as he curled up again, his forehead hitting the ground as he let himself fall forward. He couldn’t hold back the crying, no matter how much he wanted it, how much he found himself _utterly pathetic_ for having such a meltdown, how much he was so _weak_ when he needed to be _strong_ …

_The tears just wouldn’t stop_.

He soon felt two sets of arms trying to hug him despite his uncomfortable position. But the comfort only made it worse. Snatcher didn’t want to be touched right now. All he wanted was to be dead again!

_But apparently life had other plans for him_.


	2. “How can any of this be okay? Are you blind?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher is not having a good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey heeeey, new chapter ! Hope you'll like it !
> 
> Also, I never expected so many good reactions, on the first chapter ! Thank you so much everyone, it means a lot to me ! I really hope you'll enjoy this fanfic !  
> At the end of the chapter, you'll find two audio files, from a friend of mine ! She gave me the authorization to use them.
> 
> Thank you again for all your nice and lovely comments !! I'm so happy if you like this fanfic !
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)  
> You can find my art blog here : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/
> 
> Happy reading !

Snatcher didn’t really know how long he had been crying. Maybe it was mere minutes, maybe it was hours… The shade wasn’t sure. _He wasn’t sure of anything anymore_. The world had just collapsed beneath him, taking him down to a pit of pure despair. He couldn’t help but hope this was just an immense joke, that the kids were just playing with him, but the more time passed… The more unlikely it became.

It was just - _oh_ \- so very real. No matter how much he wished to go back to his spectral form, it was just _not going to happen_.

The ghost’s face was red and his eyes were puffy from all of his cryings. They stung and the feeling of his cold tears on his cheeks was unpleasant. His nose was stuffed and he was forced to breathe through his mouth when he wasn’t even able to swallow his own saliva yet. The overstimulation was _killing him_ : even the littlest thing felt _extremely intense_ for him, making him unable to focus. He could barely hear his own thoughts, buried under all of those _terrible_ and _awful_ sensations. This was just a _pure nightmare_.

He could feel the kids’ hands rubbing his back gently and carefully as he kept sobbing, unable to stop. Breathing was difficult and he couldn’t hold back some coughs as tears left his eyes. He probably looked so stupid, so pitiful, so… _Pathetic_. The same reasons he hated his past self which, ironically, had never been so true before, now that he was back in his old body. Why did it have to happen to _him_ , of all people?

The spirit sniffed loudly and, after a while, he didn’t have any more tears to cry. His eyes just stung and he felt a lump in his throat. He slowly lifted his head again, meeting the children’s eyes once more. They were still watching him with worry, with _pity_.

Snatcher _hated_ those expressions.

-“It’s going to be okay,” said the bow-wearing kid, tilting her head on the side as she tried to reassure him. The ghost, however, was very much _not_ reassured and let a scoff leave his lips. He opened his own mouth to answer, still with difficulty. Moving a tongue he didn’t have earlier the same day was _particularly hard_.

-“Are you _joking_ , kiddo?” he retorted, with a mix of sarcasm and bitterness in his voice: “How _can any of this_ be okay? Are you _blind_?”

The older kid punched him lightly in his left shoulder, making him wince at the wave of unwanted sensations hitting him hard:

-“Hey, don’t talk to her like that!” she reprimanded him with a frown: “She’s trying to be helpful!”

In hindsight, the younger child _was_ trying to be helpful, yes. At his remark, the latter had knitted her brow, probably not knowing what to do or what to say after the way he had replied to her. Her older best friend, however, was _not_ happy with that. And, if Snatcher had been in a better state of mind, maybe he would have understood his lack of tact.

Yet, the ghost was _not_ feeling well at all. Nothing mattered to him anymore, not if he had to stay like _this_.

-“ _Helpful_?” he repeated, furious: “Unless you can make me a ghost again, _I’m sorry_ , but you are _not_ being helpful,” he spat, glaring at the hatted child.

The two kids stared at him, astonished by his attitude. In a way, he had always been mean and hurtful, yet… There was something else, something _new_ , that was much more malicious and cruel in his words. It was not his usual sarcasm, his normal bitterness, no, on the contrary.

His sentences were full of _hatred_ , a point that the kids definitely didn’t miss.

The hatted brat’s face contorted in anger, surely not believing how spiteful he was being to them after the way they tried to comfort him:

-“Are you _serious_?” she argued, absolutely mad: “ _You_ threw the Time Piece! _You_ ’re the reason you’re a _pecking_ human again!” she fumed, gesturing to him as she kept going: “You’ve been crying _for half an hour_ and now you’re being like _this_? _Seriously_?”

The spirit squinted, not liking her tone at all. She dared raise her voice at him, _the powerful soul-stealing ghost_? Well, in a way, he wasn’t _that_ powerful anymore, but _still_. He had killed many people for much less.

-“I _don’t want_ your _pity_ , kid,” he warned, trying to mimic his old threatening voice, though it wasn’t as successful as he hoped: “And I certainly _don’t need_ someone to _comfort_ me.”

Silence fell between the trio. He and the hatted child were looking daggers at each other, waiting for one to glance away or to blink. The younger brat was watching them, not knowing what to do. Eventually, her best friend looked away and crossed her arms:

-“You know what?” she challenged: “ _Fine_. Since you’re doing _so_ _well_ on your own, well, we’ll leave you be!” she declared, very irritated, before turning to the bow-wearing child: “Come on, Bow, let’s go.”

The latter seemed hesitant and glanced between him and her friend, clear remorse showing on her face. But her friend was much too angry to care and insisted: “You heard him very well, he doesn’t _need_ us.”

She then took the younger’s hand, pulling her away from the spirit, and added, darkly: “So _let’s go_.”

The bow-wearing kid gave him one last look before turning around, following her best friend silently. The ghost watched them go away, clenching his teeth as he was trying his best to straighten up. He heard several of his joints crack from the movement and he grimaced as he did everything he could to ignore how much it _disgusted_ him. God, human bodies were so _gross_.

Soon, the little girls disappeared from his sight and he was alone again. The shade stared into space as he sighed, exasperated: _he didn’t need them_. They weren’t going to help him anyway, he might as well try to find a solution to his problem by himself! Yeah, after all, that’s what he had done for _all those years_ , fighting Vanessa all on his own! _How hard_ would it be to occupy a human body for a while? He had to fix this whole situation, _the contrary wasn’t an option_. No matter how much time it would take him, he was determined to try _anything_ if it meant he would be back to his old self. Well, he didn’t have much of a choice anyway. After all, if he didn’t…

_Subcon would freeze again with Vanessa’s magic spreading ice everywhere_. Snatcher and his powers were the only reason the forest and the village were safe from her. He had no idea how many days or months he had left until the situation went from bad to catastrophic… It probably depended on Vanessa’s mood and whether she learnt about what had just happened to him or not.

_Oh, God, if she ever learnt about this_ …

The ghost forced this thought out of his mind and shook his head. He regretted the gesture immediately, as it made him nauseous almost instantly. He had the impression someone had just hit him violently on the head with a bat and he couldn’t help but bring his hands to his temples. His fingers massaged the skin, pressing against it as he shut his eyes hard. He shouldn’t have cried earlier, it made the pain _so much worse_.

Little by little, the shade pulled himself together and attempted to sit up once more. The movement was hard and awkward, since it meant he had to use a lot of muscles and articulations at the same time. Snatcher had possessed many people in the past and had shapeshifted into humanoid forms a lot as well… But controlling an _actual body_ , a _living_ one, one that used to be _his own_? This was _entirely new_ or, well, something he hadn’t done for centuries. When he tried to move his legs, he realized with horror that they weren’t moving the way he wanted them to. It was just so hard, so confusing, so… _Imprecise_. His legs were heavy, they were long, and he just knew he wouldn’t be able to stand up. Balance was something very precise and extremely easy to disturb. Snatcher would just be like a baby trying to walk by himself. He groaned at the thought, feeling even more pathetic. Just like he used to be when he was alive… _How ironic_.

The shade put his hands on the ground and tried to push himself up, clenching his jaw hard as he used all his strength. The movement made him whine in pain and displeasure as he felt the clothes rubbing against his skin, much more than before. He quickly lost his balance and fell back on the grass, feeling even weaker than he already was. _He was so miserable_.

Rage started to build up inside him again and, with more determination, he attempted to stand up once more. He _had to_ get up, he _had to_ go back to his home: maybe there would be _something_ in his books helping him to go back to normal… Yet, he couldn’t help but feel quite pessimistic at the idea: after all, his problem had been caused by a Time Piece and he had _never_ heard of those before… So the probability of finding anything related to it was quite low. Still, this was his only chance, since the brats had claimed they couldn’t help him. The shade let out a bitter scoff: _ha, they didn’t even try_! Yeah, they were some time and space experts, so what? _Those were just words_!

The spirit tried to get up again, in vain. He fell on his side and a silent cry left his lips at the shock. It hadn’t been particularly _painful_ , so to speak, but the intensity of all the sensations engulfing him at the same time hit him very hard. He missed not being able to feel anything… Especially when feeling things led him to fall down multiple times.

He remained motionless for a while, trying to find the strength to straighten up once more, ignoring how _exhausted_ he was starting to become. _This wasn’t working_. Maybe he needed something to help him? A branch or anything else? Snatcher examined his surroundings, looking for something he could use. His eyes fell on a nearby tree, which was large enough for him to hold. Putting most of his pride aside, the shade looked around him to make sure no one would see him, and he started to crawl. As soon as his body began to slide on the ground, Snatcher shut his eyes, loathing how _intense_ his sense of touch was. He could feel the skin of his stomach rubbing against his clothes, he could feel the pressure of his own body to the ground, the feeling of gravity pulling him down… _This was pure torture_. He dug his fingers into the dirt, trying to pull himself forward. Some dirt stuck itself under his nails and he let another cry out at the sensation. It was awful _, so awful_ , he just wanted it to be over… Why couldn’t this be easier? Why did he have to feel such _horrible things_? Everything hurt, everything was just so intense, _he hated all of this_!

The ghost had to stop midway, unable to do it in one go. He took advantage of this little break to breathe, trying his best to calm his heartbeat down. He could sense its pounding in his chest, quick and loud in his ears. When he felt comfortable enough, he kept going, hoping this would soon be over.

When the spirit managed to get to the tree, he approached his hands from it and wrapped his arms around it. His face was stuck on the bark and the contact made him grimace. He tried to get away from it, but he knew he wouldn’t be as stable otherwise. With a lot of unwillingness, the shade forced himself to get closer again and he took a deep breath.

_This was now or never_.

Digging his nails into the bark, Snatcher pulled himself higher, having trouble moving his legs as he did so. No matter how much he was trying to use them as a way to push himself up, they just slipped under him. Soon, all he could do to stay somewhat stable was to cling on the tree, his nails hurting from how much he was putting pressure on them. For a few seconds, he remained perfectly immobile, not daring to move, stuck in a very embarrassing position. His bottom was turned up, while his upper body was stuck to the bark, his arms around the tree.

_This couldn’t be happening. This just couldn’t be happening_.

Tentatively, the shade attempted to move his feet again, in order to straighten himself. For a brief moment, he thought it was working, because he did manage to push himself higher against the tree. However, before he was able to do anything more, his feet slipped under him, and he fell down. His chin hit one of the roots of the tree, making him scream from the sudden pain. Snatcher instantly brought his hands to his bruised skin and hold back another scream, only letting out a high and long hum of pain. New tears appeared in the corner of his eyes and, feeling his resolve crumple little by little, he curled up just like before.

He was so _pathetic_ , so _miserable_ … Maybe even more than how he used to be back when he was alive. Somehow, the thought hurt him even more than the previous bump on his chin, _much more_. Slowly, he started to sob, curling up more and more as his cries became louder. Why was this happening to him? Why? Why, why, _why_? This wasn’t _fair_! He didn’t deserve _any of this_!

Everything was just so _painful_. Moving, breathing, crying… _Everything was_. He had trouble to breathe, having his nose clogging up again because of his second meltdown. His body began to shake. It was unnoticeable at first, but it quickly evolved in something much more worrying. Who cared? Maybe if he just died again, he would go back at his previous ghostly form!

A sad and bitter smile appeared on his lips: yes, maybe it _was_ the solution. To be back as a ghost, one had to die… Why wouldn’t this time be any different? Maybe if he just let himself to die, everything would go back to normal. At this point, he had no other options… The kids couldn’t help him, he wasn’t able to move _by himself_ , and no one was nearby to help him… His pride absolutely _loathed_ the idea of asking for help, especially with the way he probably looked at the moment, but… This was a very peculiar situation, _one that needed exceptions_.

It still made him sick just to imagine it.

His sobs increased, echoing all around him in a heavy silence. He was alone, _so alone_. For a few minutes, he really thought that his plan would work as intended: he would wait for death and come back as a ghost, just like he had planned… But then, he heard quick footsteps approaching him, as if someone was running in his direction. He barely had time to lift his head that a panicked and crying voice rang in his ears, making him wince once more:

-“Sorry, we’re _so_ sorry!” The shade recognized the voice of the bow-wearing kid and, soon enough he felt her hands touching him, as if she was holding him. He jumped at the contact, definitely not used to it. Not long after that, he felt another set of arms hugging him close and tight:

-“Are you okay?” it was the hatted brat. She wasn’t exactly crying but, when Snatcher moved a bit to look at her, guilt was all over her face. She was very close to join her best friend’s cries, her voice trembling when she spoke again: “I’m sorry, I was mad! Bow told me to go back, but I didn’t want to listen! _I’m so sorry_!”

Snatcher’s surprise and astonishment stopped his sobs, and his eyes glanced between the two kids. He was about to try and push them away, wanting to keep some _dignity_ , but then another voice made him freeze completely.

-“Hey, kids? What are you doing?” it asked, with a confused tone: “Who’s that guy?”

It was a subconite, a few feet away from them. The minion hadn’t caught a good sight of Snatcher’s face yet and thus hadn’t recognized him. The ghost felt the kids freeze just like him, staring at the little being as it was walking closer and closer.

_This was going to be so awful_.

Snatcher was not ready. He was not ready for this at all. As he heard the subconite getting closer and closer, he pushed his head on the side, shutting his eyes. How was he going to explain any of this? How would his minions react at how pathetic he was right now? He didn’t want to be laughed at, he didn’t want to be pitied at… He wanted to be feared. And, as of now, the ghost would certainly not intimidate anyone, especially with how miserable he was being.

He heard the footsteps stopping next to him and the minion’s voice forced him to come back to reality and to deal with this whole situation.

-“… Boss?” they asked, clear confusion and astonishment audible in their intonation. The ghost felt the kids letting go of him and, if the context was better, he would have felt grateful for that. But at the moment, he was just very nervous and very anxious at the imminent conversation with his minion. Snatcher didn’t want to do that right now, he was already suffering so much because of this stupid body… And now he had to deal with this too?

He didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like, showing himself like this to Moonjumper… He instantly tried to push that thought away, really not wanting to deal with that right now. It was enough at it was currently.

Eventually, the spirit turned his head towards his minion, slowly, very slowly. His body was shaking again, but whether it was out of fear or out of pain, he couldn’t tell. Everything was just so mixed up and his mind wasn’t able to tell what was what anymore. His eyes met the “face” of the little being. The latter made a few steps backwards as his suspicions had been confirmed by seeing the spirit’s face, red and full of tears.

-“It’s… It’s really you,” they murmured, not believing what they were seeing: “What happened?”

Their tone and gestures were full of concern and they got closer again. Any person new to Subcon and its dark atmosphere would have trouble deciphering the emotions showed by the minions, since they had no face to show them directly, but… For Snatcher, it was all very clear. He knew much more about them than what he liked to show. In that particular case, the way the little being was acting, the way they moved, the way they spoke, the way they were fidgeting… Those were all perfectly clear signs for the ghost.

Snatcher frowned, quickly drying his tears on his sleeves. Not that he had much dignity left, anyway.

-“Please don’t tell anyone for now,” he asked, looking at them gravely. He wasn’t presentable and if the other minions saw him like this… They would most likely panic, considering he was their only way of keeping Subcon safe and warm.

The subconite remained motionless, visibly hesitant and perplexed, and a brief silence settled between them. The hatted child was the one to break it, in order to explain what had happened to the clueless servant:

-“He… He broke a Time Piece,” she added, glancing between Snatcher and his minions. Her best friend started to pat his back again, making him wince and move away from the touch. She still put her hand back on him, trying to comfort him. The subconite didn’t miss his refusal for contact and approached the ghost, clearly more worried than before:

-“Are you okay, Boss? Are you hurt?” they questioned, examining the shade’s body, looking for any possible injuries. Well, his chin was bruised, just like his body probably was because of his earlier falls… But pain was just one of the many, many unwanted sensations Snatcher was currently feeling.

-“Of course I am!” he assured, still determined not to look more miserable than he already was. He straightened up, trying very hard not to grimace for the tenth time as he did so. It would be lying to say that he was fine. He definitely was not. Thus, he added, with a low voice: “Well, it’s just… Kind of oversensitive.”

The subconite fell silent for a few seconds, watching the kids still trying to rub his shoulders in order to comfort him. A “look” of realization appeared on their inexistent features and they ran to the kids, snapping their hands away sharply.

-“Stop that!” they scolded, clearly angry, then gestured to the ghost, who was surprised by the sudden movement next to him: “He just said he didn’t like to be touched!”

The kids stepped away, glancing at each other then to the minion, confused.

-“He… He didn’t-” started the bow-wearing kid, not understanding what it was all about. Her older friend looked just the same, not getting what the subconite was trying to say to them. The latter seemed to grow even more irritated at their oblivious attitude. They tilted their head on the side, as if they were rolling their eyes.

-“Can’t you see?!” they rose the tone of their voice, absolutely livid: “The Boss has been dead for years! Dead people can’t feel anything at all! How would you feel if you had to experience sensing things all of a sudden?!”

The kids’ expression crumpled as they seemed to understand what the other was trying to explain. Soon, new tears appeared in their eyes and they started to sob, silently at first, but louder and louder as seconds passed. Snatcher’s eyes widened at the sight and he froze, not knowing what to do or what to say. The sound of their cries rang in the spirit’s head, as if someone was hitting his brain with a bat, repeatedly. He closed his eyes and extended a trembling hand in their direction, ready to do anything so it would just stop:

-“It’s fine, it’s fine! Stop crying, for the love of God!” he pleaded, clenching his teeth and holding his head with his free hand. But apparently, it was the wrong thing to do, as the little girls began to cry louder, apologizing:

-“We’re sorry, Snatcher!” stuttered the hatted brat, sniffing loudly. Her younger friend was sobbing even louder, covering her face with her hands. The ghost could hear the latter’s voice through her fingers, with an intonation full of guilt:

-“I’m sorry for touching you!” she sputtered, her shoulders moving up and down as she continued crying: “I didn’t think it would hurt you!”

The shade couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore, as the voice of the little girls were killing him. He felt like he was about to faint if it continued any longer. However, he heard the minion shushing them and a wave of relief engulfed him.

-“Shhh, shhh!” they reprimanded the kids, putting his finger in front of his cloak, as if he had a mouth: “You’re making it worse!”

This seemed to be enough to calm the children down and the spirit heard them trying to hold back their sobs. Snatcher’s head felt much better, not hearing the high-pitched voice of the two brats crying so loudly. Little by little, the shade reopened his eyes and gave a weak nod to his minion, thanking him for his intervention. The little being gave him a thumb up with his mitten-like hand:

-“Anytime, Boss.”

The shade took a deep breath and looked at their surroundings. No one had seemed to notice them yet, which was a good thing. It would only bring even more trouble… Next to the subconite, the little girls stood silently, drying up their tears on their sleeves. Just like him, their faces were red and puffy, their nose clogged up as well. At least, they were being calm, now… It was still something.

-“Okay… Okay,” he said to himself, trying to pull himself together. Then, he turned to the trio in front of him: “I might find a cure to this if I manage to go to my tree,” he explained, voice full of determination.

The bow-wearing kid frowned and interjected with visible worry on her face:

-“But are you…” she was hesitant to continue and gestured to his legs, wincing. The hatted brat finished her sentence for her, less afraid of hurting his feelings, apparently:

-“Can you even _walk_?”

Snatcher couldn’t say he hadn’t expected that question. He knew very well that walking on his own would be completely impossible, considering how he wasn’t even able to move his legs correctly. Each time he tried to use them, they just moved differently than what he was trying to do. Standing up with those wouldn’t work.

He had quite a few proofs of that earlier.

He knitted his brow, absolutely loathing the very idea of pronouncing his next words:

-“Not on my own,” he admitted, fighting his pride as much as possible as he kept going, still very much decided: “But you’re going to help me to walk.”

[Erekio](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet) · [Hathi's Extreme Frustration](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet/hathis-extreme-frustration)

[Erekio](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet) · [Bow Kid's Apologies](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet/bow-kids-apologies)

[Erekio](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet) · [Hat Kid's Apologies](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet/hat-kids-apologies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, things are going to get quite complicated, hehehehe. Hope you've liked this chapter and that you'll enjoy the next ones as well !
> 
> Take care, everyone !


	3. “I don’t want to stay like this…”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is trying to find a way to reverse all of this. It does not go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter ! I hope you'll like it !  
> Thank you so much for all your comments, kudos and support, it helps me so much, you have no idea !! Really, thank you !
> 
> I commissioned a drawing from CheesyTrishy for this chapter ! Go support her art, it's so beautiful !! Here's her Tumblr : https://cheesytrishy.tumblr.com/
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I wish you all a happy reading !  
> Don't hesitate to visit my blog if you want to see some AHIT shenanigans and updates on this fanfic.

Snatcher had guessed pretty well that walking was going to be a _difficult experience_. After all, it was hard to stand up for someone who had been used to floating around for _centuries_! However, he didn’t think it would be _that hard_ , if he had to be completely honest.

Assisted by his minion and the two brats, the ghost was trying to put one foot after the other, doing his best to keep his balance. The kids were holding him up by the waist, while the spirit had put his hands on their shoulders. As for his minion, they were pushing his back, to keep him from falling backwards. At first, the group had thought it would work pretty well, considering that Snatcher’s human body wasn’t exactly _heavy_ … But it was _much more_ complicated than what they first thought.

Thus, the group was walking through Subcon Forest, in order to reach the shade’s tree house. Yet, while they wanted to remain discreet… The newly founded group wasn’t exactly _silent_.

-“For peck’s sake, stop leaning on me so much!” snapped the hatted child in a hush, irritated at the weight he was putting on her shoulder as he was trying to keep his balance: “It hurts!”

Snatcher gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes, retorting with annoyance:

-“Well, if you were doing a _better job_ of helping me walking, _maybe_ it wouldn’t hurt so much!”

-“I swear, I’m going to let go of you if you keep that up,” threatened the brat in retaliation, apparently not liking where the conversation was going. She lightly loosened her grip on him to prove her words, showing him she could very well take her arms away if she wanted to. To the shade’s discontent, it was more than enough to shut him up, as he didn’t really want to experience falling down again.

Physical pain was so _awful_. Well, just like _being alive_ was, generally speaking.

The bow-wearing kid and the subconite glanced at each other briefly, silently worrying about the time bomb that was the other two. They had been bickering since the beginning and, from what they were seeing, it wasn’t going to stop. Furthermore, some parts of the forest being quite rugged didn’t help to pacify the duo. It was a wonder that no other minions had noticed them as they were crossing the forest.

Soon, they managed to get to Snatcher’s home, very much recognizable from how big the tree was compared to all the others. A yellowish light was coming from the lamps scattered all around it and the ghost couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief at the sight: they were _finally_ here. He didn’t exactly know how long it took them to actually arrive, but it sure had seemed like _hours_ to him. All of his muscles were extremely painful and tired from the effort. It probably wasn’t much for any normal person, but his situation was _far_ from being normal.

-“Come on, Snatcher, only a few feet away!” encouraged the younger brat. She hesitated to pat him on the back as a supportive gesture but held herself back. The guilty look on her face probably showed that she remembered how oversensitive his body was at the moment. The spirit couldn’t help but feel a bit of gratefulness, though he quickly pushed that emotion out of his mind.

It was _their fault_ if he was in this particular situation to begin with!

The group approached the tree and, after a few steps, entered the open living room. The brats and the minion helped him to sit in his purple armchair, for him to rest. As soon as his body was able to relax on the chair, the shade gave out another sigh, this time of _content_. He could feel himself sink into the comfortable fabric, gravity pulling him down. The rest of the team sighed as well, apparently very glad to not have to hold him up anymore. The hatted child stretched out, soon imitated by her younger friend. The minion just watched them silently for a while and then came closer to the resting spirit:

-“So, Boss. What are we looking for?” they questioned, more than ready to help the shade.

The words brought the latter back to reality. It wasn’t the time to rest, they had a lot of research to do! He straightened up, feeling the joints of his bones crack from the sudden movement. He winced at the sensation: God, he would _never_ get used to that.

Forcing himself to focus on the current situation, the spirit pointed at the closet in front of him, trying to stay impassive despite the gesture hurting his arm.

-“There are books in there. The ones at the bottom are those about magic. Take them out and give them to me,” he instructed, watching them opening the closet after his words. They took out the books he had mentioned, bringing them to him. Most of them were quite large and heavy, thus not very easy to carry around, especially for small people like them. Snatcher’s minion almost tripped while holding one of them, barely managing to find back his balance. In any other case, it would have made him laugh out loud, yet he couldn’t find the energy to smile in the state he was in.

_He was too much in pain for that_.

Little by little, a pile of books formed at his feet and he quickly grabbed one to read in the meantime. It was a thick book, with a dark and solid cover. The surface was soft and the ghost couldn’t help but let his fingers run on it. His mind became blank as he felt the texture under his skin. It was… _So weird_ to feel things again. It was still _very unpleasant_ , of course! Yet, there was something _more_ this time, something he couldn’t quite place at the moment.

Was it… A feeling of _nostalgia_? He couldn’t really know.

Soon enough, he felt stares on him and he lifted his head, seeing the others watching him with a worried expression. When his eyes met theirs, they quickly glanced elsewhere, as if they had never been staring at him in the first place. The ghost squinted, but remained silent, not wishing to cause another argument: _he was too tired for that_.

-“I’m not sure we’ll find anything useful in them…” said the bow-wearing kid, tentatively.

Snatcher frowned, not liking what she was implying:

-“How would _you_ know? You don’t know magic, as far as I can tell,” he reminded her, sharply, clenching his fists as the words left his mouth. This time, the hatted brat answered him, putting her hands on her hips as she did so:

-“Well, maybe we don’t, fine. But it’s not a _magic_ problem. It’s a _Time Piece_ one,” she remarked, raising an eyebrow at his answer.

The shade felt anger coming back to him and he took a deep breath to not lose his calm:

-“I don’t _care_ what the cause is. All I care about is to _reverse_ this, _one way or another_ ,” he replied darkly, slowly articulating each syllable to make his point, as clear as possible. He was sick of being in this _useless meaty_ body and the sooner he reversed all of this, _the better_.

Not wasting any more time, he finally opened the book and flipped a few pages, irritably, skimming them as fast as he could. He didn’t really know how much time they had left before another subconite ran into them…And, frankly, Snatcher didn’t want to explain everything again. His eyes glanced at the words, searching for anything related to Time Pieces. In front of him, the kids and the subconite apparently had decided to help and they had sat on the ground, each taking a book to read. Well, at least, it would make things go faster. Well, he hoped so. He knew the kids could read his contracts, since they had scribbled on his last one, so they weren’t _completely_ useless.

A few minutes passed in deafening silence, only interrupted by the sounds of pages being flipped and by the sound of the wind going through the living room. The air was cold and dry, which wasn’t reassuring Snatcher very much: it already showed that the effects of his powers over his part of the forest were decreasing. He wondered how many hours it would take for Vanessa to notice it and send a blizzard to them… He could only hope for Vanessa to be too busy doing _whatever she did_ in that freezing manor of hers.

Time went on and Snatcher’s pessimistic nature grew more and more as he couldn’t find anything that could potentially help him. He sometimes stopped the others in their reading to ask if they had found anything, to which they only shook their head, more and more concerned with time. The ghost was becoming fidgety and his anxiety was growing faster and faster.

Why couldn’t he find _anything_? _Why_?

He gritted his teeth once again and, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, he threw the book he was holding outside, not caring what would happen to it. _He had had enough of this_. He just wanted to be a ghost again! He put his head into his hands, ignoring the looks he was getting from the rest of the group. It wasn’t like he could just commit suicide to get back to his old spectral form. If he ever did that, he would probably come back as a dweller and that would be even worse than being stuck as a human… At least, he still had a _body_.

-“I don’t want to stay like this…” he murmured, feeling his nails scratching his head, sending even more unwanted sensations to him. Without thinking, he let out a scream of frustration, which echoed all around him. He then slammed his fists on the armrests, before quickly regretting it, as more pain erupted from the sudden contact. He held back a cry and clenched his jaw.

When he reopened his eyes, the group was still staring at him, more than concerned. The kids were looking at him with sympathy in their eyes, which made Snatcher’s new stomach turn. _Ugh_ , he _hated_ that look. His minion, on the other hand, was doing his best to stay impassive, surely knowing he didn’t like being pitied. The latter came closer and put their small hands on the left armrest, trying to be encouraging:

-“It’s alright, Boss, we’ll find a way to turn you back to normal! I’m sure there are plenty of ways to do so! Right, kids?” they made a discreet gesture to the children, inciting them to agree. The little girls didn’t understand right away and tilted their head in confusion. The subconite’s body language started to show his irritation and they quickly pointed to Snatcher silently, oblivious to the fact that the ghost could see him very well. Soon enough, a look of realization crossed the children’s features and the bow wearing kid tried to make up for their previous lack of understanding:

-“Oh, uh, yeah, totally!” she said with a fake enthusiastic tone. She elbowed her older friend when the latter didn’t say anything to encourage Snatcher: “Right, Hat?” But, instead of trying to do so, the older child shook her head slowly, a dark and sad expression on her face:

-“I prefer being honest… The only way to fix a Time Piece problem is to break another one.”

The group turned to her, watching her intensely. Snatcher’s desperate expression was replaced by a mix of astonishment and anger. Why didn’t she say so earlier?! That would have prevented them from walking all over there! Why didn’t they just smashed the Time Piece again to fix the problem if it was so easy?

The kid apparently guessed what he was thinking and cut him short before he was even able to say anything:

-“But… It wouldn’t work in your case,” she said, anticipating his interrogations as she explained more: “Because if you broke it again, you would just… _Get younger_. You wouldn’t go back to _being dead_.”

She paused, ignoring the reprimanding look given by her younger friend and the subconite, and eventually concluded, sadly:

-“I’m… I’m really sorry, Snatcher.”

The ghost felt like all of his hopes had been shattered to nothing. His denial had been destroyed, forcing him to accept the fact that he was stuck in this horrible and awful body. He lowered his head, gritting his teeth: he didn’t _want_ to accept that! This wasn’t _fair_! He didn’t _deserve_ all of this!

He was about to retort something when the bow-wearing brat spoke again, interrupting the tensed atmosphere around them:

-“We haven’t tried anything yet, though,” she remarked.

-“But you know just like me that-” tried to interject the other little girl, only to be cut short by her younger friend:

-“No, Hat, actually, we _don’t_ know anything!” she exclaimed, lifting her arms as she kept going, trying to be positive: “I’m sure there is a way to reverse this! We just have to try!”

The hatted-brat winced and glanced elsewhere, not wishing to contradict her friend. But it was easy to see that she didn’t believe her from her expression. As for Snatcher, he didn’t really know what to do or what to think. After what he had heard from the older girl, he was just _devastated_.

How would he even protect Subcon from Vanessa in his position? He didn’t have any powers to do so! Once his ex found out about what happened… No, he didn’t _even want_ to imagine it. He closed his eyes, not wanting to believe this was happening. But this was all very much _real_ , to his greatest despair.

His minion interrupted his thoughts, tapping on the armrest several times to catch his attention:

-“Uh, Boss?”

-“ _What_?” replied Snatcher, his voice full of exasperation, hiding the misery he was feeling, not wanting to show any more of it.

-“You, uh… I think you should take a look outside,” advised the subconite with a clear anxious tone. This fact immediately worried the shade, who opened his eyes again, turning his head to the side. His eyes widened as soon as he did and, suddenly, all of his muscles grew cold.

A large group of subconites had gathered around the tree, watching them with great confusion. A deafening silence settled between them, as no one knew how to react.

_This was a huge catastrophe_.

One of the minions made a few steps, tilting his head as they spoke:

-“… Boss?”

Things couldn’t get any worse now, _could they_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, I wonder how Snatcher is going to deal with this :)


	4. “I… No. No, I’m not fine.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher has a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge delay ! I've started working and I'm deeply invested in Art Fight this month, so... I don't have much time for writing. Thankfully, I had this finished chapter waiting to be posted, so... NEW CHAPTER ! I hope you'll like it !
> 
> You can see more of my art and fanfic updates here : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/
> 
> Happy reading !

The subconites, despite being children at heart, had become _very mature_ throughout the centuries. At first, life hadn’t been easy: comforting children who had just died wasn’t something Snatcher had been good at. And, in a way, that still hadn’t changed today.

The vast majority of them knew very well who he was or, more precisely, _who he used to be_. Of course, the spirit had tried his best to forget, to put his past behind him, refusing to be associated with the nice and so naive Prince of the Subcon kingdom again… But, obviously, some had guessed and the word had spread in the newly founded family, at the time.

Snatcher had not been happy about that. However, most of his minions had been considerate enough to ignore his past identity, trying to call him something else rather than the very annoying and painful “my Prince” he used to get. Thus, the name “Boss” came and stayed. He didn’t know if they used it when they were talking to each other when he wasn’t there, though.

That’s why, when the shade saw a huge group of subconites surrounding the tree he was in, with the kids and the other minion… He felt like his heart had stopped beating for a while, like fear and surprise had twisted his guts, suddenly and painfully. He felt like he had received a bucket of cold water on his trembling shoulders.

This couldn’t be happening.

-“Boss, is… Is that you?” questioned one of the little beings, their voice and body language showing how confused and upset they were. They were fidgeting, and all of them were looking at each other, trying to understand what could have happened while they were gone.

Snatcher remained silent, his face paling up more and more as the realization hit him hard. _They knew_. They could see how _pathetic_ he was, how _miserable_ and _terrible_ he looked like at the moment. And soon… They would understand that he wouldn’t be able to protect them anymore.

The ghost was paralyzed in fear, having no idea what to do anymore. What could he say? How would he be able to explain _any of this_?! He didn’t even know _where to begin_! There was too much to say, too many details! He couldn’t form any word. His voice seemed stuck in his throat and he could barely move his tongue anymore. The beating coming from his chest grew louder and louder, faster and faster, scaring him even more. Fastly, he put a hand over his chest, clenching the fabric of his shirt where his heart was beating underneath. Low murmurs started to echo all around him, making his head spin.

This couldn’t be happening, _this just couldn’t be happening_.

His breathing rhythm quickened and the reality seemed to collapse around him for a moment. He was trembling, more and more. What was happening to him? Why did he feel so bad? Why did he feel so sick?

_Why was he feeling like he was going to die again_?

He barely registered the new contact on his shoulders, shaking him back and forth lightly. He could hear a voice, _no_ , several voices, all panicked and distressed. It all seemed so blurry, so far away from him… And yet, he still felt like he was _dying_ , like his heart was going to stop beating anytime.

He wasn’t safe, _he wasn’t safe_ , what was happening to him, he didn’t know, _he didn’t_ -

His mind was violently brought back to reality as the grip on his shoulders became tighter, shaking him more vigorously than before. He felt like his vision was starting to clear up, and so was his hearing. Shapes became clearer and clearer and, soon, he recognized the kids in front of him, the hat-wearing one being the person shaking him back and forth.

-“Snatcher! Snatcher, pull yourself together!” they yelled at him, trying to catch his attention, their voice ringing in his head. _Too loud_ , it was much too loud… When his eyes met theirs, a look of relief crossed their features when they realized he was conscious again. They both sighed lengthily, letting their head fall backwards.

-“Would you stop scaring us for a _pecking_ second?” groaned the little hatted girl, while her best friend sighed again, closing her eyes.

Snatcher’s attention was then caught by movements in the corner of his vision. All his minions had come closer, some of them standing next to him. They were all fidgeting, not knowing what to say or what to do. The spirit had no problem trying to decipher their body language and their concern was more than visible to him.

Their sudden presence at his sides made him freeze again.

-“Boss, are you alright?” asked one of the minions, deeply worried. Snatcher felt his hands shaking again and it took him a few seconds to actually be able to answer. He considered lying, telling them that everything was perfectly fine, but… Who would believe him? He looked everything but fine. Plus… The subconites deserved to know what was happening. They were part of this forest just as he was.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his fast-beating heart.

-“I… No. No, I’m not fine,” he admitted, frowning at the minion who asked him the question. Though it was more out of anger for himself rather at the said subconite: “ _Everything hurts_.”

Most of the little beings shuddered at his answer. They were certainly the people who would understand what he was going through the most. After all, they were dead, and they knew very much how it felt or, well, _how a dead person couldn’t actually feel anything_. If the kids were the time and space experts in the room, they wouldn’t be able to understand what he was going through.

Another minion pushed the others to join him, clear worry in his voice:

-“But… _What happened_?” He couldn’t blame them for being surprised: after all, _dead people rarely came back to life_! Even he didn’t know that was possible and, well, he knew things about the afterlife and how it was!

He gave a nod to the children’s direction, frowning:

-“It’s _their_ fault,” he claimed. Immediately, indignation took place on the girls’ face, gasping at his words. They instantly started to protest, cutting him short before he was even able to keep talking:

-“I’m sorry?!” screamed the hat-wearing child, absolutely outraged: “ _You_ broke the Time Piece, not us!”

Her best friend nodded vigorously, very unhappy with his claims. She put her hands over her hips, glaring at him:

-“Yeah! You just _threw it away_! What did you think would happen, you big doofus?”

The ghost just snarled at them, though it was much less impressive with his current form… Well, even _ridiculous_. His anger intensified when he saw the kids trying not to laugh at him. He grabbed the edges of his armrests, feeling his nails sinking into the fabric.

_Insufferable kids_ …

-“Shut _up_!” he yelled, wincing right away, his voice ringing in his head, loudly. He brought a hand to his right temple, pressing a finger on it, hoping it would help to ease the pain. _It didn’t_. All around him, the minions stared at him with what he supposed to be _compassion_ and _sympathy_. God, he _hated_ those expressions…

Silence fell between them. The subconites looked at each other, visibly very uncomfortable and still very much confused. The kids, on the other hand, had apparently decided to sulk and look away from him, a very clear scowl on her face. _The brats_ …

But, then, one of the minions raised their hand with hesitation, catching the ghost’s attention before he closed his eyes, exhausted.

-“ _What_?” he questioned, extremely irritated by everything that was happening. His head hurt so much, just like his muscles… He wasn’t sure how long he would handle being human, seeing how painful the whole experience was.

The voice of the confused minion was almost muffled by all the murmurs echoing all around them, but Snatcher heard very well what he asked him about.

-“But… What about _Her_ , then?”

Lukas’s heart sank in his chest and his eyes reopened instantly. The entire group of subconites became dead silent, turning their head towards the one minion who _dared_ to ask the question they all wondered about silently. He knew they would ask him about that, he sure did… Yet, _knowing_ something was going to happen and actually _experiencing_ it were two _very different_ things.

The spirit clenched his jaw. Yes, what about _Her_? What was he going to do to protect his kingdom from the Ice Queen? He wouldn’t be able to do anything as a human! He didn’t have any power left, he couldn’t even _walk_ on his own! So how would he be able to protect his minions in that case? He was just utterly _useless_ in this state.

The silent became longer and longer, making the subconites more and more uncomfortable.

The thing was that Snatcher had absolutely no idea about what he should do. He was supposed to be their _leader_ , the one that was in charge of everyone’s safety and… _He didn’t know what to do_. 

-“I…” His voice died in his throat as he could find what to say. This only made the situation worse, as the minions started to panic. Afraid mutters started to resonate in the crowd, while some of the little beings looked everywhere, searching for any danger awaiting them. He couldn’t blame them.

As soon as Vanessa found out, then… _It would just be over_.

-“What if you found someone to replace you?” the voice came from the bow-wearing kid, who was done with sulking. She was staring at him curiously, as if she was surprised that the spirit hadn’t thought of this sooner. As soon as he heard those words, Snatcher frowned. Well, it would work if he had someone to replace him, but it wasn’t like there was anyone who would fit the role-

Then, the shade froze, suddenly realizing he was wrong. There _was_ someone who would be strong enough to protect the forest while he would deal with the situation at hand. Someone he _truly disliked_ , someone he _certainly_ didn’t want to ask help from, someone who made him feel _terribly uncomfortable_ …

And yet he had no other choice left, given the state he was currently in.

He would have to _ask_ Moonjumper for _help_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, another cliffhanger ! :) I love doing that, sorry, ahahaha !
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter ! See you on the next one ! Take care in the meantime !


	5. “You are the reason I’m like this, kid.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher and Hat Kid have a nice and calm talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter ! I hope you'll like it !  
> Sorry for the lack of update, writing has been hard since I found a job, and now I have a kitten to take care of (he's called Moony, hehehe)... But I'm not forgetting this fanfic ! Thank you SO MUCH for all your nice comments !! You're all so great !!
> 
> Also, since it's the 14th of July today, which is France's National Day, I'm holding a little Q&A and silly doodle session with a friend, the one voicing Hat Kid at the end of this chapter ! More information on my blog here if you're interested : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/post/623448547657908225/livestream-announcement
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !

Finding Moonjumper was not an easy task. Since the spirit wasn’t exactly _bound_ to Subcon Forest, he wandered around, visiting places he couldn’t have seen when he was trapped in the Horizon. Since Snatcher didn’t really want him around Subcon, the other sometimes left, so they wouldn’t meet. Of course, the body-snatching ghost still seemed rather fond of the Forest, probably from the memories he had stolen from the shade… They still happened to bump into each other, and it always resulted in a passive-aggressive conversation, mostly from Snatcher.

Usually, he was pretty satisfied not to see his “double” around… However, in the current situation, the ghost was forced to look for his counterpart, much to his displeasure. But he didn’t have any other choice: Moonjumper was the only entity able to go up against Vanessa. None of the minions would be able to and, _well_ , Snatcher didn’t really like the idea of forcing dead children to pit themselves against their crazy murderer. He was a monster, but he still had _standards_. Especially since he very well disliked the idea of going to fight Vanessa himself.

-“I’m going to look for him with the ship,” had announced the bow-wearing kid, after disappearing in a blink. The older child and the ghost were left alone to start their research into Subcon Forest. Normally, Snatcher wouldn’t really _need_ anyone to find someone, since he could feel the presence of any person entering his domain… But since he had become human again, this was not something he could do anymore. Thus, the hat-wearing brat was staying to help him look for the body-stealing spirit. Furthermore, Snatcher still couldn’t _walk_ on his own. And, while he did have many servants to help him, he didn’t like the idea of them seeing how _weak_ and _miserable_ he was. The human child would do, for now.

The shade was brought back to reality when he heard the voice of the hat-wearing brat again:

-“How do you think Moonjumper will react?” she wondered aloud, holding his hips as he was putting his weight on her shoulders to stay stable.

Her question made him think and he realized he didn’t really know. He and Moonjumper certainly weren’t _friends_ , and despite the other possessing his body and memories… They weren’t the same person and, well, they didn’t know each other. To Snatcher, it was _fine_ , perfectly fine, because he didn’t _want_ to see him. But when it came to guessing how the other spirit would react… The shade couldn’t really tell for sure.

-“He’ll probably laugh at me,” he shrugged: “I mean, that’s pretty _pathetic_ , you know, me having to use your shoulder to walk around and stuff.”

The kid glanced elsewhere, frowning. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t. They kept on walking, calling out Moonjumper’s name a few times before she found out the courage to voice her thoughts:

-“You know, he’s not _that_ bad,” she observed, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Snatcher let out a scoff at her attempt at defending Moonjumper. Oh, he _was_ that bad.

-“Hey, kiddo. Why don’t you wait for the day someone steals your body to judge me? Wouldn’t that be a _great_ idea?” he countered, sarcasm clearly present in his intonation. His ex-contractor sighed, growing exasperated by his attitude. But Snatcher didn’t care at the moment. He was _not_ fine.

-“You’re not even giving him a _chance_ ,” she objected: “He’s actually pretty nice, I don’t think he would _laugh_ at you.”

The ghost rolled his eyes and let out an irritated sigh:

-“Oh, wait, I _thought_ you were _asking me_!” he reminded, with a fake tone of disappointment: “If you know him _so well_ , why don’t _you_ tell me how he would react?”

The conversation certainly was evolving into a heated argument. It wasn’t _unusual_ for both of them, _true_ , but the situation only made it worse. Snatcher was not in a playing mood and the child wouldn’t be as patient as usual, given his attitude to her. This was not a usual fight. The kid glared at him, visibly gritting her teeth in irritation. When she opened her mouth, her tone was everything but playful:

-“I was thinking he would be _nice enough_ to try and help you… But now, I think he would be just _sad_ to see you like this.”

The ghost froze, not walking anymore, and slowly turned his head to look at the child, giving her a dirty look. Oh, she did _not_ just say that.

-“ _You_ are the reason I’m like _this_ , kid,” he commented, his voice dark and threatening: “If I were in your shoes, I would be _careful_ about my words.”

-“Oh, _yeah_?” challenged back the brat, not afraid at his threats at all, but incredibly annoyed instead: “And what are you going to do? _Fall on me_? Because, in case you hadn’t noticed yet, you’re not very _dangerous_ anymore.”

Rage engulfed Snatcher again as he heard her words. _How dared she_?! She didn’t know half of what he went through, of what he was _currently_ going through! She didn’t know _anything_ , she didn’t know what it was like to face a version of yourself you had come to _hate_! She didn’t know what it was like to become _that same person_ again, when all you wanted was _to completely forget_ about it!

And now she was _reprimanding him_? What a _joke_.

He pushed her away, making her lose her balance as he did so. With no one to keep him steady, he fell on his side, biting his tongue not to whine at the impact. Pain hit him like a train and his head barely avoided a rock on the ground. The shade clenched his jaw and shut his eyes hard, trying to ignore how much everything hurt.

Well, the kid’s voice quickly brought him back to reality, though:

-“What is _wrong_ with you?!” she yelled, now definitely mad, lifting her hands in disbelief.

Snatcher reopened his eyes, now glaring at her, his mind full of rage and fury:

-“What is wrong with _me_?!” he repeated, now more furious than ever: “Are you serious?! Do you have _any idea_ what it’s like? To experience what _I_ ’m going through?!”

-“Well, it doesn’t give you the right to be this way!” retorted the little girl, glaring back at him: “ _Sure_ , you’re going through stuff right now, yeah, _fine_ , we all get it! But, really, _I swear_ , if you keep up with that kind of attitude, Bow and I are _done_! We’ll leave you all alone to deal with it!”

Snatcher was about to snap back, but the kid interrupted him by lifting her hand, yelling even louder:

-“And before you try and give me that ‘ _oh but it’s your fault I’m like this_ ’ kind of crap, no! It was your fault, _all you_! _I_ didn’t touch the Time Piece, _Bow_ didn’t touch it either, _you did_!” She was now screaming, her high-pitched voice echoing all around them as she let out all her irritation and exasperation on him. The ghost remained perfectly silent, not knowing how to react to how mad she was. He had never seen her like this and it was shocking enough to replace his anger by astonishment. Right in front of him, the kid was shaking, almost on the verge of tears.

The spirit wanted to say something, but no sounds were coming out of his mouth. This was not the case for the hat-wearing child, though:

-“So, instead of blaming others for what’s happening to you, why don’t _you_ take some responsibility for it?” she concluded, calmer but still very much furious: “We don’t _have_ to help you. Not if you keep acting this way.”

The ghost stared at her, the meaning of her words slowly making its way into his mind. He felt like he had just been slapped in the face by the little girl. The latter was stomping her foot, looking daggers at him while she waited for his answer. But the shade remained silent, looking elsewhere with a frown on his face.

He didn’t like to be wrong. He hated it, _loathed it_. It only reminded him of how bad he was, of how stupid he used to be as a human. And now that he was back in his old body, it had been hard to contain his self-loathing tendencies. However… The kid was right. It had all been his fault.

_Just like everything else, really_.

His silence irritated her even more and she let her arms fall in exasperation, sighing loudly. She had been right, but Snatcher didn’t want to admit it. Instead, he crossed his arms, looking at everything but her, just to prove his point. Yet, he knew perfectly he was just ridiculous, but he couldn’t help himself. Both of them didn’t speak for a few minutes, as if they were trying to find who would be the one holding a grudge against the other longer.

In the meantime, the shade could only focus on all the sensations he was feeling, and hadn’t stopped feeling. The most disturbing one was feeling his own _beating heart_ inside his chest. Any dead person would feel the same after years passed in the afterlife. After all, he had had all the time to get used to Death and what it had to offer to him. And, _frankly_ , it didn’t have much to offer, except for all of his powers -which he didn’t even have anymore-. Life in post-apocalypse Subcon wasn’t exactly _thrilling_ , to say the least. The only interesting events revolved about trapping people and stealing their souls… Other than that, the (after)life was pretty calm, not to say boring. But, when one died in a cold cellar after God knew how many hours, shackled to a wall… It was hard to find anything worse. Staying in Subcon would always be better than his short time passed inside that awful and terrifying basement. The memory made him shiver. God, if Vanessa ever found out… As soon as that thought came into his mind, the ghost pushed it away as soon as possible.

He didn’t want to think about _her_. Especially when he was in that _useless_ and _cursed_ body.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by movement in the corner of his vision. The kid had come closer, her face more tired than angry now. She was extending her hand to him, as a way to help him to stand up again. She sighed and started to speak again, with a weary tone of voice:

-“Sorry, I went too far. I shouldn’t have said all that,” she apologized and continued after a short pause: “I think we’re all pretty tense, but it wasn’t right for me to snap at you. I’m sorry.”

The ghost looked at her, feeling a particular emotion engulfing him, one he hated, one he didn’t want to feel: _guilt_. It had replaced his anger, his fury and now he just felt utterly _miserable_. He was just the same failure of a human after all… All those years being dead never changed anything.

It was as if karma had decided to punish him for everything he had done, for what happened to Subcon. Sure, he knew it wasn’t _his_ fault… But he couldn’t help but think he could have prevented it if he had tried harder. Every day, there had been this little and _horrifying_ voice telling him how _stupid_ he had been, how nothing would have happened if he had just been better…

And, after a while, he ended up believing it.

He forced his mind to focus on the current situation. Slowly, he lifted his hand to take the kid’s, who helped him to stand up right away. Just like before, he put his hand over her small and yet strong shoulder. She was now smiling at him, even if it was a sad smile. The sight only intensified the guilt he was feeling.

This was just _unbearable_. He wanted it to stop, he just wanted to stop feeling all those _awful_ things! Why did it have to be this way, why, why, _why_?!

He shut his eyes hard, trying his best to stop thinking about all of this. No, that wouldn’t help him at all. Instead, he opened his trembling mouth, letting out words he didn’t think he would have said an hour ago:

-“No, it’s… You’re right, it’s my fault,” he murmured, glancing away as he admitted his mistakes: “I’m sorry too.”

The child’s smile widened at his apologies and, gently, she put her hand over his, but only for a brief instant. She probably remembered he still didn’t like to be touched and pulled back her hand quickly.

-“Thanks,” she simply replied, before changing the topic back to what it originally was: “Let’s keep looking for Moonjumper.”

The shade nodded, knowing how important it was to let his counterpart know about what was happening. They needed to be ready, in case Vanessa learnt anything about the current matter. So, he and the little girl started to walk again, exploring the Subcon Woods. The ghost couldn’t help but wonder if the younger kid was having more luck than them in her search for the body-stealing ghost. He asked his ex-contractor about it, whose only response was:

-“I mean, he could be _everywhere_ ,” she said with a shrug: “We know the places he likes to visit, but it all depends on whether he wanted to explore some new place or not…”

This didn’t reassure Snatcher. He really hoped the other spirit would be easy to find… He didn’t exactly want to risk having Vanessa showing up without anyone to defend the place.

They kept looking for what felt hours to the shade. His legs were getting sore, something the kid was probably feeling, as he was leaning more and more on her shoulder as time passed. Each step became harder than the last and the amount of sensations he was feeling at the same time definitely didn’t help. At least, the child was nice enough to not say anything about it, certainly aware of how much he didn’t want to be seen as _weak_.

He thought the search for the other ghost would continue for a long time, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a familiar voice behind them, in the distance:

-“They’re here!” It was the bow-wearing kid. Without thinking much, the ghost turned in her direction, only to freeze completely as his eyes met Moonjumper’s. And, just like him, the other had stopped moving as he saw his face, his human face, the face of the body he had stolen, _the face he knew from the memories he had obtained from it_ …

Snatcher knew immediately that this was going to be extremely delicate and _awful_.

[Erekio](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet) · [The Fury Of A Little Girl](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet/the-fury-of-a-little-girl)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy I sure do love writing cliffhangers :)  
> See you on the next chapter !


	6. “I have literally no one else to ask but you.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher has a serious discussion with a certain someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO, NEW CHAPTER ! I hope you'll like it !  
> Sorry, it's a bit shorter than the others, but there are some things coming with it, such as :  
> \- An audio file ! The voice acting was made by Puyo Proto (https://twitter.com/Puyo_Proto) and Joleebee (https://joleebee.tumblr.com/) !  
> \- A drawing I commissioned from the very talented CheesyTrishy (https://cheesytrishy.tumblr.com/) !
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH for all your support ! I'm so happy you like this story ! Your comments and kudos make me really, really happy and motivated, thank you so, so much !  
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Of course, Snatcher had expected his meeting with Moonjumper to be absolutely awful. There were many reasons for that to happen: it was already the case for their usual encounters, mainly because of the shade’s clear distaste for his counterpart. But, in the current situation, Snatcher’s present problem made it a hundred times worse.

Moonjumper’s face had contorted in something the spirit could identify as a mix of astonishment, confusion, extreme discomfort and clear disbelief. Well, the ghost couldn’t blame him: he surely would have reacted the exact same way. He kind of did, when he met Moonjumper himself.

He didn’t want to remember that day, ever. No, it was best to forget how awkward and uncomfortable it had been for him.

In front of him, the ghost had been guided by the bow-wearing kid, now at his sides. A similar scene was happening from Snatcher’s perspective, with the older child next to him, helping him to stand up. The body-stealing spirit opened his mouth, still very much really upset by the vision in front of him, yet no sound left his lips. His eyes were examining Snatcher, from top to bottom and vice versa, making the latter even more embarrassed and anxious than he was.

It was unbearable.

The shade took a deep breath, holding his arm, visibly ill-at-ease. Words came out of his mouth, but he felt like he wasn’t even pronouncing them, as if he was doing it mechanically:

-“Hey, so…” he paused, not even knowing how to begin to explain what went wrong that day: “I’m gonna need you to watch Subcon for a bit…”

Just like he expected, the other simply stared at him, unable to believe what was happening in front of him. Well, seeing the body you stole right in front of your face was certainly something very… Disturbing, he supposed. Moonjumper tried to speak again, but in vain. He tried to gesture his interrogations, his confusion but, eventually, only managed to say:

-“I- I need to sit down…” he brought one of his hand to his forehead, staring into space. Next to him, the bow-wearing kid grabbed his other arm, gently, guiding him to a stump so he could sit down. The spirit let himself be taken there, still bewildered. Once he sat down, he lifted his head towards Snatcher, his face visibly begging for an explanation.

-“W-What…” he started, the emotions making him stutter: “What happened? How…?”

The soul-stealing ghost winced, not really wanting to explain everything over and over again. He rubbed his arms by reflex, quickly stopping at the unwanted sensations it brought him. Letting his arms fall down to his hips again, he took a deep breath:

-“They…” he tried, only to remember the brat’s outburst earlier. No matter how much he hated to admit it, he had been the one who had thrown the artefact away. The shade frowned, before correcting himself: “I- I broke a Time Piece. It was an accident, obviously!” he paused, before adding, gesturing at his shaking and unstable body: “But… As you can see, it… It brought me back to life.” At his sides, the hatted kid gave him a small smile, showing how she had appreciated his honesty.

Well, it was true, after all.

Moonjumper took his head between his hands, even more shocked than before. Snatcher could see the other scratching the surface of his head with his fingers, probably as a way to cope with what he had just heard. When the latter looked back at him, his face was full of fear and nervousness:

-“What about Vanessa?” asked his counterpart suddenly, his voice trembling. The latter brought his hands to his wrists, rubbing them anxiously. Snatcher would normally frown at the familiar gesture, though all he could do at the moment was to _freeze_.

Snatcher was basically asking the other to deal with Vanessa, wasn’t he?

He shook his head, stuttering as he replied:

-“She… She doesn’t know,” _yet_ , he almost added. Though, he didn’t even need to, as Moonjumper’s face crumpled. It wasn’t surprising, he supposed, as the latter had received his memories as a human when he stole Snatcher’s corpse. Moonjumper knew very well who the other spirit feared the most, who could truly be a threat to Subcon Forest.

It could only be Vanessa. Intruders weren’t a danger, more a nuisance than anything… But Her, oh, she was much more than a nuisance. She was a dangerous entity, completely insane, and who would do anything to take her -oh so dear- Prince back.

Moonjumper’s eyes stared at him with horror, his hands rubbing his wrists faster than before. The sound of the shackles around them could be heard, echoing all around them, as he moved his arms in a repetitive gesture.

-“ _Why_ …?” he started, trying to find the words, only to continue, with a mix of fear and hesitation in his voice: “Why _me_?”

The shade tilted his head in confusion at the sudden question, not understand what the other had meant. He didn’t have the time to ask about it as the latter kept going, trying to convey his interrogations:

-“I mean… You know I’m scared of her as well, don’t you?” he hinted, lifting his head to meet Snatcher’s stare. The soul-stealing spirit fidgeted in response, before nodding. Of course, he knew. At the affirmative gesture, Moonjumper’s face became even more confused. He then gestured at himself as he started to talk again, his voice more agitated:

-“Then _why_?” he wondered aloud: “Why _me_? You, _of all people_ , know _exactly_ how I feel towards _her_ , and yet, you want _me_ to deal with her? Is this some kind of _punishment_?”

-“ _What_?” replied the shade, astounded, unable to say more as the other continued to rumble, more and more anxious as seconds passed:

-“It’s because you _hate_ me, isn’t it?” he asked, now frantically rubbing his wrist, making the shackles cling with each other, again and again: “I don’t understand _why_ you would ask _me_ , _out of all people_! You _hate_ me, I _know_ you do! So _why_ , if it’s not a _punishment_?! A way to hurt me _again_?!”

Both Snatcher and the kids stared at the other, bewildered by his sudden outburst. Silence fell between them, as Moonjumper let his head fall in his hands again, shaking it repeatedly. It was like he was trying to deny what was happening.

The shade winced, not knowing what to say at first, what to say to break this deafening silence. After what seemed like an hour to him, he opened his mouth again:

-“I-… You…” he paused, eventually deciding to be honest: “You’re the only one strong enough to confront her,” he admitted, fidgeting even more as the words left his lips: “I have _literally_ no one else to ask but you.”

The silence continued for a while, until Moonjumper stopped moving completely, still not lifting his head to look back at him. What Snatcher said was completely true: Moonjumper was the only one who would be able to resist and fight his ex. Whether it was the kids or his minions… None of them would be able to stand long before the Ice Queen.

His thoughts were interrupted again, as the other answered him, his voice much more different from the tone he used earlier:

-“I know,” finally said the corpse-stealing ghost, with a darker and sadder intonation from before. He let out a long sigh, clenching his head one last time before raising it to meet Snatcher’s eyes again. The expression on his face was full of an unwilling resolve: “I just…” he stammered, attempting to gesture his thoughts, all in vain: “I’m just _so scared_ ,” he conceded, curling up. A scoff left his lips: “I know it’s absolutely _stupid_ , since I haven’t actually _seen_ her like _you_ did! I mean, all I know from her comes from your _memories_! But,” he paused, then glanced to the ground with a wince: “it’s just _there_ ,” he tried to explain, using his hands to accompany his words.

Snatcher didn’t know what to answer. He didn’t actually hate Moonjumper, but the latter rather made him incredibly uncomfortable. In any other situation, he would have dismissed the other’s feelings, not caring about them… But, to his greatest displeasure… He could recognize a part of himself in his counterpart’s claims. Which, in a way, wasn’t _that_ far-fetched, considering the other spirit had inherited all of his memories, from the best to the worst ones.

The shade turned his head to the side, not knowing what to say. Somehow, it would be so easy to just laugh at his counterpart’s fear of the Ice Queen… But it would be particularly hypocritical of him to do so. He was very much afraid of her himself. He couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if he was asked to fight Vanessa at some point and, unsurprisingly… The very idea terrified him a lot.

Thus, it was no wonder why Moonjumper had reacted this way. And seeing Snatcher’s attitude to him on a regular basis… It wasn’t stupid of the other to think it was some sort of punishment, no matter the present context.

-“How much time do we have before she finds out?” questioned Moonjumper, bringing back the shade to reality once more. Snatcher would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of that yet. He had a rough idea of the answer and it all revolved around his powers or, well, his lack of powers. His fire abilities and the magic fires he had lightened up around Subcon Forest were the only things keeping the place safe from Vanessa’s glacial magic. It wouldn’t be long until they disappeared little by little, with no magic to keep them warm and sustainable. At first, Vanessa probably wouldn’t notice any difference, but after a while… She was definitely going to notice a change in her magic, how more efficient it would be on Subcon and what was left of the village… It wouldn’t take long for her to understand that the forest was not protected anymore. This would be the perfect opportunity for her to attack, to spread her blizzard all around the place, freezing everything again.

And if she did find Snatcher like this… He didn’t want to even imagine it.

As for how much time they had left exactly…

-“I guess…” Snatcher gulped, trying to think of a good approximation: “I guess it would take her a week or two to notice something is abnormal. Maybe another week to start to form a plan. After that…” he cringed, glancing elsewhere: “I’m not sure. I can’t predict her intents anymore, she’s…” His expression darkened as more very disturbing came back to his mind: “She’s too unstable for that now.”

The kids’ expressions were full of fear, now, both of them remembering the Ice Queen very well themselves. Snatcher could feel the hand of the hatted girl squeeze his clothes as she was holding him up, as the mention of the Queen probably brought back unwanted memories to her as well. The bow-wearing-child clenched herself together, her brow furrowing, her posture definitely tensed.

Vanessa had clearly left a very powerful impact on everyone… And definitely not a good one.

-“So…” interjected the younger child next to Moonjumper: “We have two to three weeks to find a solution? Is that it?”

Snatcher frowned again: it wasn’t a long time to find a solution to a problem like this one. How would he turn back as a ghost, now? He couldn’t just kill himself, as easy as it sounded! As he was about to confirm the kid’s assumption, Moonjumper straightened up, a reluctant determination on his face:

-“Then… Then I guess we don’t have any time to lose,” he affirmed, floating back up again. His eyes met Snatcher’s ones again, silently telling him he was not doing it as a favour but because he had no other choice. Snatcher knew this very well.

The other dusted himself and glanced at the trio, waiting for instructions.

-“So, what do we need to do?”

 _And, to be fair, Snatcher had no idea_.

[Erekio](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet) · [The Beginning Of A Plan (voice acting by Joleebee and Puyo-Proto)](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet/the-beginning-of-a-plan-voice-acting-by-joleebee-and-puyo-proto)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehe, I hope you liked this chapter !  
> See you soon, take care everyone !
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH for all your comments and kudos, it means A LOT to me !


	7. “Well, isn’t that fantastic!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher gets a boo boo !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter ! I hope you'll like it ! I had a lot of fun writing this one !  
> Thank you so much for your comments everyone !!! Sorry for the late answers, I promise I'll always reply, but I'm just procrastinating... BUT I READ THEM AND I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM !! Thank you so so so much !! Your comments and kudos are the best thing there is to keep me writing, you're all so amazing !!
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Snatcher knew very well the kids were aliens. After all, from their attitude, their written language being very different to what he knew, their magical hats and hourglasses… It would be stupid to think those little girls were perfectly human. A mere human wouldn’t have been able to fight him like they did. The ghost knew all of that. However, when he had been brought into the children’s spaceship, it still shocked him quite a bit, whether it was psychologically or, well, _physically_.

The bow-wearing kid had suggested they all teleported back there, so they would have access to a whole range of equipment. Moonjumper had been tasked to stay in the Forest, guarding the village and its undead inhabitants. Snatcher hadn’t told his minions about it yet, but if he had to be honest, he didn’t want to face any of them again at the moment.

The situation was already more than _humiliating_ as it was.

Snatcher was used to teleportation or, well, _he thought he was_. But teleporting using magic and teleporting using science were _very much different_. When the ghost’s body materialized in the little girls’ spaceship, he felt like his insides were being. The very instant his feet touched the floor again, he fell down forward, losing all sense of balance. He barely noticed it as the nausea that attacked his stomach was simply overwhelming, preventing him to feel anything else but that. He almost closed his eyes, only for them to reopen quickly when his body hit the pink carpet violently. His teeth chattered loudly as his chin collided with the floor, crushing his tongue at the same time. A cry left his lips as pain spread into every part of this useless body, his nausea only intensifying with that.

Why did he feel so _sick_?! He used to teleport _all the time_! This wasn’t _fair_ , he thought furiously while he clenched his teeth from pain and irritation. Soon enough, he was surrounded by the two kids, who immediately put the Time Piece down and came to help him:

-“Snatcher!” exclaimed the hatted brat, kneeling near his head, putting her hand on his shoulder to shake him a little bit. _The ghost didn’t want this_ , he _hated_ to be touched, the sensation was _unbearable_ , even more now that he was feeling _so bad_ … At the simple thought of it, his revulsion only worsened.

-“Are you okay?” asked the bow-wearing kid, in a tone that was more than worried. The shade would have laughed in her face if he could: _of course he was not okay_! How could she even ask him that? _Was she blind_? At least, she knew better than to touch him… However, no coherent words left his mouth as his chin and tongue hurt too much for him to say anything. He mindlessly brought his hand to his face, clenching the lower part of his face while letting out a high pitched sound.

_Being human again was the worst_.

He felt a soothing sensation on his shoulders: the hatted kid was rubbing him gently, as a way to comfort him. But it did the complete opposite: _he didn’t need comfort_! He was a _murderous ghost_ , who had stolen _hundreds of souls_ , who had lived for _centuries_! And now this brat was _petting_ his shoulders?

_This could only be a joke_.

Ignoring the pain in his limbs, he tried to push the other away, though pathetically. He wanted to tell her how stupid she was to try to calm him down _like a baby_ , how _disrespectful_ it was, how much he _didn’t want_ to be touched at all… But he couldn’t. _It hurt too much_.

-“Oh my pecking God, Snatcher, drop the _soon-deh-ray_ act!” grunted the older child, probably rolling her eyes as she spoke. The shade couldn’t quite see her face from the way he was lying on the ground. He wanted to reply that it had absolutely nothing to do with whatever she was saying, even if he had no idea what it meant. Yet, the younger brat beat him to it:

-“I don’t think he wants to be touched, Hat,” she hinted, her voice full of concerns. It seemed to be more than enough for the other to realize her mistake though. The latter quickly took her hand back:

-“Oh, right…!” she said, apologizing immediately after that, guilt audible in her intonation: “Sorry…” At her answer, the ghost let out a groan, not linking the idea of being this vulnerable, but… Well, _at least_ , no one was touching him anymore. He tried to lift his head, only to feel more pain on his chin and in his mouth. He felt blood filling up his mouth and he coughed some on the carpet. It was probably because of how his teeth had bitten his tongue on accident. The sight made the little girls pale up instantly, their breath caught in their throat as they stared at him with clear fear and worry in their eyes. The little hatted brat straightened up and ran to the kitchen, telling her friend that she was going to fetch the first-aid kit. The latter remained at the ghost’s sides while he was trying to pull himself together. He managed to roll to his sides, still very much disorientated by his sudden fall. The younger child made a sympathetic face, smiling at him sadly as she tried to comfort him again:

-“Don’t worry,” she assured him: “Teleportation does that to everyone at first.”

The shade eyed her with suspicions and irritation. He opened his mouth and attempted to speak, though his words were barely understandable, considering how he couldn’t move his tongue very well anymore:

-“What do you mean?” he asked, wincing at the pain.

It took the kid a few seconds to understand him but, when she did, she tilted her head on the side, staring into space as she tried to explain:

-“Well… It takes a while for someone to adjust. Hat and I had to be trained for that a few years back and, yeah…” she giggled a bit, a look of nostalgia appearing on her features: “Let’s say that those were not enjoyable times!”

The recent revelations made Snatcher suddenly _very intrigued_ regarding the past of the little girls. To be completely honest, he never really cared about the past of anyone, since any person entering his domain was fated to die. _Why would he care about the story of someone he was going to eat the soul of_? However, now that he had crossed the path of those two children… He couldn’t deny that he had been _quite curious_ about some things, even though he didn’t really show it.

Well, who wouldn’t be after meeting two alien brats who had their very own spaceship without any adult supervision? With those same kids having powerful artefacts and being trusted with them? This obviously brought a lot of questions.

-“Trained?” he couldn’t help but repeat the word, too intrigued to ignore what she had just said.

-“Yeah!” she answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: “What, did you think they gave spaceship to _anyone_ where we’re from?” she questioned, almost laughing at him for his confusion. The ghost felt his cheeks reddening from the embarrassment and he turned away, feeling his mood worsening even more. _He should have known better than to ask questions_ … Cluttering sounds could be heard in the distance as the other kid was trying to find the first-aid kit. The younger one apologized when she realized she had offended him:

-“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to make fun of you,” she confessed, an expression of guilt taking place on her face. Snatcher grunted in response, wanting nothing more than to continue sulking as they were waiting for the hatted brat to come back. Though, eventually, his curiosity got the best of him and he turned back to her:

-“So you need to have some kind of… _Licence_? To drive this thing?” It made sense, with hindsight. Who in their right mind would give such a thing to young inexperienced children?

The shade tried to sit, though it was easier said than done. He managed to swallow the blood accumulating in his mouth and rubbed his chin slightly, only to cringe at how much it stung. _Yep, he was not touching that again_. Next to him, the bow-wearing child winced but quickly tried to hide it as she answered his question:

-“Yep!” she confirmed, doing her best to sound cheerful despite all the bad things currently happening: “Well, _to be fair_ , Hat is the pilot expert,” she admitted, tilting her head on the side: “I can fly a ship, but I’m not as good as her at it. She’s in charge of piloting the ship most of the time while I check on the engine and the machine room. But sometimes, we switch!”

The ghost nodded mindlessly, slowly processing what had been said to him. This was definitely a lot, especially with everything that was happening at the same time. Snatcher felt almost relieved when he heard the kitchen door opening again, violently slamming into the next wall as the hatted brat joined them back, running quickly with the kit in her tiny hands. She proudly put it on the ground next to the shade, trying to catch her breath as she announced, beaming:

-“Found it!” She quickly opened it, revealing many healing items, along some the ghost couldn’t quite recognize as they looked extremely weird to him. Perhaps it was because they were aliens and, thus probably had very different healing processes. However, there was still basic stuff in there, such as bandages, disinfectant, a thermometer, scissors… At least, he wouldn’t end up with some _alien thing_ on his injuries. Well, he would probably end up with a bandage on his chin, but for his tongue… He wasn’t sure how this would heal. It wasn’t like he could put a bandage over his tongue and call it a day…

The two little girls proceeded to look into the kit, throwing anything they didn’t need behind them, forming a pile of items next to them. Soon enough, the bow-wearing kid brandished a particular bandage with a proud “ _ah-ha_!”. It was a pink bandage with a black kitten on it.

-“You can’t be serious,” said Snatcher with a deadpan expression. There was no way, absolutely _no way_ the ghost was going to wear that _thing_ , especially on his face. He might have turned into a _disgusting_ human, _yes_ , but he still had some _dignity_ left!

His reaction offended the younger child more than he first thought. She opened her mouth and her eyes wide, staring at him as if he had insulted her entire family:

-“ _What_?!” she exclaimed, pulling back from the shock: “What’s wrong with my bandages?!” She approached said bandages to her chest, as if she was trying to protect them from Snatcher’s words.

-“ _What’s wrong_?!” he repeated, unable to believe how she couldn’t see the problem with it: “They’re _kids’_ bandages! I’m not going to wear _those_!” he answered, outraged and staring at the items with disgust. Who did she think he was? _He wasn’t a child_!

Silence fell in the room as Snatcher’s eyes were fixed on the children’s. It was like time had stopped, no one was moving. The only thing echoing in the room at this particular instant was the constant whirring of the ship and the trio’s breathing. And, after what felt hours to the ghost, the silence was violently interrupted as the kids burst into laughter, a _loud_ and _hysterical_ laugh. They rolled on their sides, clenching their stomach as they couldn’t help but laugh at him. Snatcher, on the other hand, was surprised by their reaction, though his astonishment was soon replaced by another powerful wave of embarrassment hitting him. His face reddened again: _how dared they mock him_?!

-“Shut up!” he yelled, though he sounded extremely ridiculous with the way he was talking, since he still couldn’t move his tongue very well yet. The girls’ laugh intensified even more, so much that the little vacuum cleaner, who had stayed away at first, finally approached them. It slightly bumped into the hatted brat with a short high pitched sound, as if it was asking for what was happening. But said girl ignored it, unable to focus on anything else as she was still laughing on the floor.

-“ _Stop it_!” barked the former shade, his voice full of anger and shame. But, then again, his words were deformed by his difficulties to speak.

It took the brats a little while to finally calm themselves down, not helped by Snatcher’s furious demands. The bow-wearing kid had tears on her cheeks, having laughed too much.

-“Oh my _God_ , Snatcher,” breathed the hatted kid as her laughter was dying down: “They’re just _bandages_! You’re not going to throw a _tantrum_ for some _pecking pink bandages_ , are you?”

Snatcher’s rage and embarrassment intensified at her words:

-“Throw a- _Of course not_!” he countered, his voice loud.

The younger kid giggled and handed him one of the bandages, which was big enough to fit the injury on his chin:

-“ _Well_ , if there’s no problem… Put it on!” she insisted.

The ghost glared at the kids: _they were mocking him_. He squinted, hating how _weak_ he was at the moment, how he was unable to chase them or hurt them in this fleshy body. If only he still had some of his powers… But there was nothing inside of him, no powers left, no souls either. _It was all just gone_.

He groaned and sighed, taking the item from her quickly, making them giggle even more. 

“ _Keep laughing_ ,” he thought to himself: “ _I swear I’m going to get my revenge on you two as soon as I get my old body back…_ ” It was a promise. Without losing any more time, he rapidly untied the item and stuck it on his chin, wincing at the contact. God, _it just stung so much_.

More snickers could be heard from the children, earning them a dirty look from the spirit.

-“ _There_ , it’s on my face! _Happy_?!” he fumed, attempting to cross his arms, only to stop when he noticed how many sensations it brought him. He resigned himself to keep his arms on his knees instead.

-“Oh, _very_ ,” assured the hatted brat with a smug smile on her _insufferable_ face.

The shade gave them another murderous look, before glancing around him, feeling the nausea slowly fading. Well, at least the younger child hadn’t lied: it was disappearing just like she had told him. He put his hands on the ground, trying to push himself back up, only to stumble in the process. The movement made his head spin and he would have fallen again if it wasn’t for the two kids, who reacted quickly enough to catch him.

-“Hey, hey, stay with us,” said his older ex-contractor, any trace of smugness gone from her face: “Here, lean on me,” she told him, putting his hand on her small and yet strong shoulder. She was quickly imitated by her younger friend, who held the ghost by his hips so he wouldn’t fall backwards.

-“I don’t _need_ you,” hissed the ghost, utterly _humiliated_ by how _weak_ he was. He couldn’t believe he needed the help of two children _just to stand up_!

-“Yeah, _sure_ ,” replied the hatted girl, rolling her eyes: “Keep telling yourself that,”

The ghost wanted to retort something, but he was cut short by the bow-wearing kid, who spoke up with concern in her intonation:

-“Maybe you should rest a little? We’ll take you to our bedroom.” she suggested, lifting her head to meet his dizzy eyes: “Hat and I can look for a solution while you take a nap,” she paused, hesitating, before whispering to her friend: “To be honest, I think he _really_ needs to sleep a little, don’t you?”

-“I can hear you,” he reminded aloud, irritated: “And I don’t _need_ to sleep! What I _need_ is my body, _now_.”

However, he could feel the little girls taking him to the bedroom, leading the way to the purple door as the hat-wearing brat interjected:

-“Well, I think you could use a rest too. I mean, have you even seen your _face_?” she asked, raising an eyebrow: “You kinda look like a ghost. _In a bad way_ , I mean.”

-“Well, _isn’t that fantastic_!” he answered, his voice full of sarcasm. Yet, he still continued walking, very well aware of how he would fall down again without the kids to hold him up. The door opened quickly, its sound resonating in the room as they walked forward. It led to a hallway, in which there was a long window. The spirit could see space through it, a vision that made him grow dizzier: it was _a lot_ to take in, after all. He then muttered to himself, remembering the little girl’s words: “Plus… I don’t really want to see my face, right now.”

The kids exchanged a concerned glance, as they guided him to the bedroom, the other door opening as swiftly as the one before. Snatcher felt his limbs becoming heavier and heavier with each step. Who knew walking again after hundreds of years could be that hard? He could feel an increasing pain in his muscles, making his teeth clench. _Everything hurt so much_.

He tried to resist when the kids brought him to what looked like a huge pillow pool so he would lie down. Eventually, the hatted child pushed his back forward, making him fall on the soft and colourful cushions. His body hit the smooth pillows as he felt the air leaving his lungs from the shock. The latter woke up more pain in his body and he couldn’t help but cringe at all those new awful sensations coming back to haunt him.

-“ _Hat_!” gasped the younger child, looking at her friend with a reproachful expression.

-“What?” replied the brat with a shrug: “He’s on the pillows now, isn’t that what you wanted?”

The shade slowly turned his head towards her, gritting his teeth:

-“ _You…_ ” he hissed darkly, looking daggers at her. But it didn’t scare his ex-contractor in the least. Instead, she just smiled smugly at him again and made a few steps back:

-“Take a little nap, now, we’ll be back later!” she sang to him, gesturing to her younger friend to follow her. The latter glanced at them with hesitation, wondering if she should stay with the spirit or not. Eventually, she approached the other brat, maybe guessing the ghost would be better alone.

She wasn’t wrong, in a way. But the ghost couldn’t stay here and do _nothing_! What if Vanessa decided to attack the village while he was gone? Sure, he had recruited Moonjumper for help, but that didn’t mean he trusted him _completely_. No, it was more like a last resort, in the worst-case scenario…

-“Wait!” Snatcher tried to stand up again, only to fall down into the pillows again. He tried to turn back again, only to see the kids walking out of the room.

-“See you later, _BFF_!” exclaimed the hatted girl with a smug face. The other child gave him a small smile and waved at him.

-“Sleep well,” she wished him: “We’ll be back soon, promise. Rest a bit in the meantime!” And then, they were out of the room, the door closing behind them.

Snatcher stared into space as he was trying to process everything that had just happened. It took him a few moments and he used that time to recover his breath a little bit. He glanced around him and eyed the pillows with distaste. There was _no way_ he was going to sleep when his ex could be freezing back his part of the forest! Ah, as if he couldn’t resist the urge to sleep! Snatcher was above all that, _he was dead_! He didn’t _need_ sleep! His eyes closing more and more as his body slowly sank in the pillows meant _absolutely nothing_! It was just his body playing tricks on him, _nothing more_!

And then, the former soul-stealing ghost fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hum, I sure wonder what's going to happen in the next chapter :) Probably something full of fluff !!!!  
> ...... Or not, who knows :)c


	8. “Please, please, stop! It hurts, it hurts!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is rated M because of graphic depictions of violence + same for the drawing posted with it. You can skip this chapter if it makes you uncomfortable (I made sure to cut the chapter at the right time for that, just in case).
> 
> Thank you so much for all your nice comments, you're all so wonderful ! I feel so happy when I read them, you're the best motivation I could ever get, thank you, thank you so much !  
> Also I can't believe we reached 3000 views and more than 200 kudos, gosh, this is crazy for less than 10 chapters !! Thank you so much, guys !!
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

It was damp. It was awful. It was cold.

 _It hurt_.

Lukas didn’t know how long he had been down there, in this nightmarish place that once used to be his home. Minutes, hours, _days_ … He wasn’t able to tell. Or, well, at least he _knew_ several things about his situation and how _desperate_ it was. First of all… The Prince couldn’t feel his legs anymore and was barely able to move them at all. He had no idea if there would be some way to save him at this point… And the more time passed, the worst it all became. His weight had become more and more unbearable for his body after a while and he had felt his shoulders dislocate, little by little… _Until it just snapped_.

He had screamed _so much_. _But now it was fine_. Lukas had become accustomed to the pain. After all this time, his suffering had just become some kind of background sensation, something that was always present, no matter what. Sometimes, the pain was so strong that he couldn’t even _think_. Other times, it faded a bit, letting his mind rest for a while… Until all the horrible thoughts came back to him, hitting him like a wave.

“ _Why did this all happen?_ ”, “ _It’s my fault, isn’t it?_ ”, “ _Maybe it wouldn’t have ever happened if I had stayed with her_ ”, “ _I shouldn’t have abandoned her_ ”, and so and so. At first, the Prince truly wanted to think it wasn’t his fault, that perhaps Vanessa had been the problem all along… After all, she did some _awful_ things on him, like bleaching his hair, preventing him from eating certain things, putting the blame on him for many things… She had claimed it was her own way of loving him.

 _And he had believed her at the time_.

Now… Now, he couldn’t help but think it was all his fault. That if he had done things differently, if he had taken better care of her, if he had noticed how lonely she had felt with him gone for his studies… Perhaps all of this wouldn’t have happened. Sometimes… He couldn’t help but think he had _deserved_ it.

Ice had started to spread through the cellar, approaching him more and more. At first, it came from the two doors, and soon, it progressed through the room, trapping _everything_ in its grasp. What used to be kegs and barrels soon disappeared under several layers of ice. And now… It was so close to him, almost touching him, touching his hands and feet. Lukas wondered if the only thing preventing it from fully covering him up was the fire magic he was using to stay alive through this _atrocious_ cold. It was probably the case. Though, his magic wouldn’t last forever, and he could already feel how _exhausted_ he was from both using it and trying to survive his severe injuries. At least, the cold made the pain more bearable… Lukas couldn’t imagine how it would feel without it.

When he was tired, he had to stop using his magic. After all, he couldn’t continue to use it while he was sleeping. Each time he woke up, he could see that the ice had spread more and more in his direction, resisting his powers with time. Was it a coincidence or was it because of Vanessa’s influence? _He couldn’t tell_.

Eating and drinking had also been a problem, obviously. While he had been able to make some ice melt on the ceiling, drinking each drop falling in his open mouth thirstily… Vanessa hadn’t entered the room since he had been locked up there and, thus, didn’t bring any food at all. It didn’t take long for the Prince’s stomach to gurgle, but all he had in his situation was ice melting from the ceiling. Of course, he had tried to yell, to call for Vanessa, to apologize for whatever he had done to her… _But she never came down_.

Silence had always been his only response. Her magic had been the only way for him to know whether she was awake or not, considering it was less cold at some moments, allowing him to rest at times. If he couldn’t use his own magic when sleeping, then… _So couldn’t she_.

Lukas’s body had gone through _horrifying_ changes as time passed. The lack of food made him grew thinner, the dehydration made his lips and tongue go dry and his skin had turned grey. His shoulders didn’t look natural anymore, his weight pulling him down with gravity. His hair looked awful and dark rings had taken place under his eyes. Soon, he lost the ability to talk, his throat too hoarse from all the screaming and pleading.

This was pure hell and there was no escape from it… _Apart from death_ , something the Prince started to long for.

Vanessa wasn’t going to change her mind, was she? All this time, he had just been delusional, in denial of his situation… But she wouldn’t let him out, _he knew that deep inside of him_. As more time passed, Lukas became more and more pessimistic about his own situation, about his injuries and his future or, well, _lack of a future_.

And then, one day… After what felt like centuries to him, he heard something _unusual_ , something that immediately caught his attention. Someone was _walking down the stairs_ , approaching the door of the cellar, slowly. Lukas’s hopes suddenly came back at full force. Had he been wrong about her all along? _Had she changed her mind finally_? A disturbing smile appeared on his face when he saw the door opening with an awful creaking sound.

 _She was there_ , she was ready to forgive him! He knew she would, _he just knew_ -!

 _But something was wrong_. His smile tensed when his eyes saw a hand grabbing the edge of the door, pushing it open more. It was a black and skinny hand, _deformed_ , _monstrous_ … Its claws clenched the wood, scratching it slowly with an _unbearable_ noise.

-“My Prince?” sang a voice Lukas knew more than enough, though it sounded distorted and dangerous. Instantly, he felt his whole body freeze, hit by a sudden wave of fear. This was wrong, _something was wrong_ , she wasn’t there to _help_ him, was she-

His heart sunk in his chest when his dear Queen appeared in his vision… _Although she didn’t look much like her old self anymore_.

-“Oh, there you are!” she chanted as a twisted smile took its place on her features.

Vanessa looked very much different from what he remembered. Her appearance had changed beyond anything he could have imagined, her magic having corrupted her completely. Her skin had turned pitch black, a very distinct sign of corruption. As for her eyes and mouth, they weren’t clearly visible anymore, just visible thanks to a red light coming from them, illuminating the room with a very threatening setting.

This couldn’t be her. _This just couldn’t be_.

-“Va-…” he stammered, his breathing quickening as he stared at her in fear and astonishment: “Vanessa?” his voice was weak, broken, almost inaudible given how dehydrated he was. Somehow, he knew he would be crying if he wasn’t that dehydrated. He didn’t have any strength left and, no matter how much he was trying to get away from his wife… _He just couldn’t_.

The Prince couldn’t escape those shackles.

The Queen took a few steps, smiling at him in a way that made him even more terrified than he already was. A pained and afraid sound left his lips, high pitched and _pitiful_. She didn’t look human anymore, she didn’t look like the woman he used to love-

 _She didn’t look like she was stable anymore_.

The monstrous woman stopped just in front of him, a sick loving look on her face. She was lower than him, considering her back was now hunched and that Lukas was shackled on a wall, his feet dangling in the air below him. The Prince flinched and closed his eyes quickly when he saw what was left of his wife approaching her deformed hand to his face. The contact on his cheek was _freezing_ , and Lukas could feel her claws scratching his skin lightly, _caressing_ it in her own twisted way.

Ice was starting to materialize at the tips of her clawed fingers.

-“You look unwell, my dear…” cooed the Queen, visibly not caring about how terrorized Lukas was. Or maybe she _did_ care... _Just like a person would care about a scared pet_.

This was just _wrong_ , on so many levels. More ice spread onto his face, covering his right cheek almost entirely. His skin was becoming numb, though he was very much paralyzed with fear, letting out little whines as his wife was caressing his cheek, _slowly_ and _tenderly_.

-“No, no, don’t be scared! I’m here, I’m _right_ here…” she whispered, tilting her head on the side as she kept going: “I’m not mad anymore.”

The words took Lukas by surprise and he immediately glanced at her, searching for any trace of lies on her expression. _But she was just smiling at him_.

-“Rea-”, his voice broke and he coughed, his throat too dry for him to talk normally: “ _Really_?”

Another wave of hope hit him: she might look like a monster, but maybe she had come back to her senses! If she wasn’t mad anymore, she wouldn’t have any reason to keep him locked up and shackled to a wall… _Would she_?

-“Yes,” she answered, stroking his face once again, spreading more and more ice on his grey skin. Now, it was coming over his lips and nose… Yet, the Prince couldn’t help but hope it was nothing more than a _clumsy beginning_ of her forgiveness. Vanessa had always been a bit awkward with her emotions, so it might very well be the case right now! After all… She wasn’t screaming at him anymore! _So it could only be a good sign_!

-“S-So…” he started, his voice still broken, a small smile appearing on his lips: “Will you… Will you u-untie me?” His breathing rhythm was short and fast, hope and panic mixing up in his mind.

Vanessa stared at him for a few seconds, as if she had been surprised by his request. However, while Lukas hoped she would understand and let him out, not even hoping for her to apologize at this point… She just _giggled_ , putting her free hand over her mouth like she used to do when she was still human.

-“Oh, ahahahaha!” she replied, gleefully: “Of course _not_ , silly!”

Lukas’s face crumpled in absolute horror as he heard her last words. It was like every little traces hope he had just shattered at the exact same time. His golden eyes looked at hers with an expression full of distress and confusion. _It made no sense_! _Why_ would she keep him like this if she wasn’t mad at him anymore?

 _Hadn’t he been punished more than enough now…_?

-“Wh-… What?” he blurted, his panic suddenly turning into desperation: “Why?!” he tried to yell, but it came out almost unintelligible. He attempted to move away from her, but with both of his legs and arms unresponsive, he couldn’t do much in his situation. His reaction seemed to amuse the Queen, as she continued to stroke his face lovingly:

-“Because I cannot _trust_ you, that is why!” she explained, in a tone that was too joyful to be entirely sincere: “You truly can’t resist your urges to see other women, so what can I do, other than keeping you all for myself?”

Her words were like poison in Lukas’s ears, his eyes widening as he was forced to listen to her claims. _What_? What was she even saying?! He didn’t even know what she was talking about! All he knew was that he had done something she didn’t like and that she punished him for it!

What did this have to do with women? _He never thought of loving anyone else but her_!

-“I-I don’t understand!” he countered, doing his best not to cough again. Talking was so painful… He could feel a distinct lump in his throat, even though he couldn’t cry: “What are-… _What_ are you talking about?!”

His answer was apparently not the one Vanessa was expecting, as her face contorted in anger at his words. Her hand stopped caressing his cheek, clenching the skin painfully instead, more ice coming out of the tips of her fingers. The Prince let out a whine and gritted his teeth, barely keeping himself together now.

-“You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about!” yelled the Queen, ice stalagmites coming out from the floor as her scream echoed in the room. Her claws were slowly penetrating his skin, piercing it and freezing the blood before it even started to leak.

-“ _How_ could you do that to _me_?” she asked, absolutely livid: “You said you _loved_ me!”

Lukas let out a deafening scream as he felt the ice starting to cover his right eye, little by little. The pain was unbearable, the situation was terrifying, and he couldn’t even think straight anymore. It was just too much, too much, too much…

 _He couldn’t see from his right eye anymore_.

-“No, no, no, Vanessa, no, _please_!” he pleaded with a panicked tone, his voice still broken: “Please, please, _stop_! It hurts, _it hurts_ , Vanessa-!”

 _And then it just stopped_.

The Queen took her clawed hand away silently, watching him carefully. Lukas’s mind was a mess, not thinking about anything else but surviving, doing anything not to die, not to suffer from her hands. He didn’t want all this pain, he wanted everything to stop hurting…! _Why_ was this happening to him?

Why did he have to suffer so much for something he didn’t even do?

He lowered his head, closing his left and now only eye as he started to beg, sobbing without tears:

-“ _Please_ , stop, I’m… I’m _sorry_ , whatever I did, I _promise_ … I won’t do it again…” his distress cries echoed in the room, his body trembling from the fear and the pain: “ _Please_ , Vanessa… _Forgive me_ …”

The Queen took a few steps back, staring at him with an expression he couldn’t quite place: hesitation? Guilt? Realization? It was hard to read her face, now that it didn’t look human anymore. No matter what it was, at least… _She had stopped hurting him_.

This wasn’t Vanessa anymore. This was only what was left of her, what she had become with her dangerous magic corrupting her.

The silence went on for a few moments, only interrupted by Lukas’s helpless sobs. After what felt like centuries to him, the woman let out an enraged scream and stomped her foot, using all of her strength and powers. More stalagmites came out of the floor and the nearby walls, pure manifestation of her fury and the monster she had become. Lukas closed his eyes, paralyzed by fear, screaming silently as he felt one of the stalagmite brushing past his hips, almost hurting him even more than he already was.

With a furious sigh, Vanessa turned away and opened the door leading upstairs swiftly, before leaving Lukas all alone again with his own thoughts and now more injuries.

 _Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad after all_ …

* * *

Snatcher opened his eyes violently, his whole body shaking. His muscles were tensed and, for a moment, he wasn’t even able to move. His eyes were staring at the blue ceiling of the room. He was breathing heavily and he could feel his heart beating fast inside his chest. It took him a few minutes to remember what it was, _what was that sensation inside of him_ , this familiar and yet distant feeling it brought him.

 _Right_. He was human, now. And he was still in the kids’ room, apparently, just like before.

The realization made him go back to reality as he tried to lift a very trembling hand to his face. He was sweating profusely and he had trouble to swallow his saliva, still very much shocked by what had happened.

And what _had_ happened exactly? What was _that_?!

He brought his shaking hand to his right eye, as if he wanted to make sure it was still uninjured. As he felt a wave of relief engulfing him at the confirmation that it was indeed perfectly unharmed… The ghost felt something wet at the corners of his eyes.

Had… Had he been _crying_? The spirit moved his hand away to look at his fingers which, just like he had thought, were covered in tears. He tried gulping down again, almost in vain, letting his hand fall back on the pillows next to him.

Was that all… _A dream_? Had he fallen asleep after the little girls dropped him there? Somehow, he couldn’t see any other explanation, considering he was still very much alive and still in the brats’ spaceship, and not shackled in the manor again…

The awful thought made him curl up as a sob left his lips, against his will. But he couldn’t control it. The memories were now coming back to him violently, terrible flashes of his dream blinding him, making him simply unable to move again. His breathing quickened as panic settled over him. Mindlessly, he couldn’t help but hug himself, needing _any_ physical sensation to force the memories out of his mind. He attempted to move his feet in his shoes, rubbing his arms repeatedly, rubbing his face against the colourful pillows… At this particular moment, _sensation overload was all he wanted_.

If this was what he was going to experience each time he went to sleep… _Then he didn’t want to sleep anymore_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like writing cliffhangers and angst :) So this chapter was born with this.  
> Oh and now I guess you all know why Moonjumper has a weird right eye :)
> 
> I hope you'll like the next chapters !


	9. “So, what do I do in the meantime? Sleep and twiddle my thumbs?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day is starting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter ! Sorry for the delay, I'm having a writer block. I merged two chapters to make this one, so it should be a bit longer than usual. I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out, hopefully my inspiration will be back soon ! Sorry again !  
> Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments and kudos !! You all make me so happy, thank you so much, it means a lot to me !! I take a while to answer them, but I love each one of your comments.
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Snatcher didn’t really know how much time he had passed in the kids’ room. However, what he _did_ know was that his face had been wet for quite some time, tears coming out of his eyes each time he remembered his dream. Or, _well_ , it wasn’t really a dream… More like a memory he wished so hard to forget, a true nightmare he had happened to relive in a dream. _Sleeping didn’t seem like a good idea anymore_.

After a while, he dried his eyes, more than relieved to know that no one had been there to witness his gross sobbing. For the first time since he had entered the room, he was now given the opportunity to glance at his surroundings. It really was a huge bedroom, definitely space-themed. Next to the pillow pool were ramps, surrounding it, with a diving board at the top. The former shade squinted at the sight: quite an excentric thing to have in a bedroom, wasn’t it? He eventually shrugged, supposing it had to do with the cultural barrier between his planet customs and the little aliens’. The rest of the room had a more “normal” setting, with a large blue bed, a wardrobe, a toy box and a desk. The latter seemed to be covered in drawings and building plans, two things very different in aspect. A detailed plan of the ship had been hanged to the wall, and it brought even more questions to the spirit’s mind: were the kids the ones who built this spaceship? He didn’t want to believe it, because they were _children_ , but, then again… Typical children didn’t fly a spaceship. Cultural barrier, he guessed once more.

The ghost couldn’t help but feel out of place in a room like this one: it was so colourful, so pure, so… _Childish_. And here he was, a murderous and hundred years old spirit, back in his previous human body. _This was quite a contrast_ …

The little girls were nowhere in sight and Snatcher couldn’t hear anything besides his own breathing. How much time had passed? By reflex, he turned his head to the window, hoping to get some information but, well, it wasn’t like the sun was _setting_ or _rising_ in space. He scoffed at his own stupidity, facepalming. Well, at least, the feeling of touch on his skin was now only slightly unpleasant, which was an improvement on his situation. With some difficulty, he sat up and straightened, feeling and hearing his joints cracking in the process. Ugh, _this was so disgusting_ … Usually, the sound of bone cracking and breaking was like music to his ears, but when it came from _his own bones_ … It was a completely different matter.

With a wince, the shade climbed down the pillow pool, careful not to trip. When he reached the floor, he tentatively tried to stand up on his own. His balance was almost inexistent and it was a wonder he hadn’t fallen down again. Little by little, he approached the wall like a toddler trying to walk on his own. Once he was close enough, he let out a sigh: he had done the hardest part. Once he was sure he had found a more stable pose, he started to follow the wall, walking towards the door as his hand brushed the yellow tapestry. The surface was soft on the tips of his fingers… It really was so strange to feel so many things again, sometimes even _trivial things_. One of the only pros of being alive again, perhaps…

When he reached the door, it opened swiftly, revealing the hallway he had had the occasion to see earlier. He took a few steps forward, before stopping next to the window. The ghost turned his head, letting his eyes wander in the sight in front of him. He could see planets, stars, distant objects he couldn’t identify… It was marvellous. He stayed there for a few minutes, admiring everything with great interest, putting his hand over the glass. He could hardly believe that this thin surface was all there was to separate him from the infinite space right before him.

It took him a while to notice how much he had been absorbed by the sight and he shook his head, shutting his eyes. _This wasn’t the time for that_! He took another deep breath and resumed walking, reaching the other door after a few more steps. Just like the previous one, it opened quickly, without needing him to push it open.

_This was all very new to him_.

Snatcher entered the big living room, only to notice no one was there, except the little vacuum cleaner on the floor. Once the latter saw him, it came right to his feet, making a few happy sounds. It bumped into his left boot gently, probably as some kind of _greeting_. The spirit couldn’t help but take his foot back, uncomfortable, though he couldn’t really explain _why_. The tiny object didn’t seem to mind and left soon after, continuing his cleaning routine, with a few “ _beep-boop_ ” of happiness.

_Yeah, very, very new_.

The ghost came back to reality, not liking how easily distracted he was being at the moment. Sure, this was a whole new world for him, something he had never seen before, _but his situation was urgent_. He would have all the time to examine all of that once he got his spectral form back. For now, he just had to find the kids again. Examining his surroundings, he noticed a lot of things he hadn’t had the time to see when he first came here. It seemed like this room served as some sort of hub between all the rooms of the spaceship. The ghost could see several doors, though he couldn’t tell which led where. All of them had different colours, but it didn’t really help him. To his right were some pedestals, displaying a large hamburger-shaped structure and a miniature train station. Farther into the room, the shade could see a yellow slide, leading who knew where.

_Was this even a living room anymore_?

There was a mezzanine, on which Snatcher could see a huge safe, apparently more than protected, considering all the locks on it. It displayed the hour of the “day”, but then the ghost realized he didn’t really know what time it was before he dozed off. _How useful_.

He groaned and sighed. He did his best to ignore the large window in the room: he had many more important things to do other than stargazing! He brought his left hand to his face, using it as a loud hailer:

-“Hey, kiddos!” he yelled: “Where are you?”

The former spirit took a few steps forward, following the glass wall as he moved inside the room further. Before he was able to call for the brats again, the door near the slide opened, revealing a kid he recognized immediately: the hat-wearing brat.

-“Oh, you’re up?” she wondered, joining him as he was trying to stay stable on his two legs: “You were out for a while,” she informed him, offering him her shoulder so he could find more balance. He shook his head and replied, squinting as he tried to think:

-“How…” He groaned, changing his pose a bit before continuing: “How long did I stay asleep?” he asked, not really reassured by her previous words. Sure, he felt better… But he couldn’t help but think he had lost all this time he could have spent searching for a solution to his problem.

-“Well…” the little girl started to think, tapping her chin as she stared into space: “Hum, at least four to five hours, I’d say?” she didn’t seem very sure, though: “To be honest, Bow and I were too focused on our research to really look at the time.”

Her claims caught the shade’s attention immediately: ‘research’, she just said?

-“Did you find anything while I was asleep?” he questioned, really hoping for an affirmative answer. However, the child in front of him rubbed her arm, visibly tensed and embarrassed:

-“Hum, not exactly… I mean, yeah, we did find some stuff, but…” she paused and sighed: “Nothing really useful for now. Sorry.”

Snatcher could feel his hopes being crushed again, though it was much less awful than what happened in his dream. He wanted nothing more than to throw something across the room. Of course there was going to be a problem, _of course_ they wouldn’t find anything!

He didn’t even find a single helpful piece of information in his own books, no matter how advanced they were!

The hatted brat seemed to notice his distress and lifted her hand to catch his attention again:

-“Wait, wait, don’t get worked up,” she told him with a soothing voice: “We have _a lot_ of things to check, we’re going to find something,” she added, trying to reassure him.

It wasn’t really helping.

-“And how much time will it take?” retorted the shade, more than irritated: “How long am I going to stay in this body? How long until _She_ finds out and freezes the entire forest again?”

“ _How long until she captures me again and makes sure to keep me alive this time?_ ” he almost added, yet he managed to keep his lips closed. Some things were better kept as a secret. However, given the look on the kid’s face at his interrogations… She probably guessed what thought had crossed his mind. She winced, fidgeting at the same time:

-“You said we had two to three weeks, it should be more than enough to-

\- But what if it’s not?” Snatcher cut her short, more and more exasperated with the situation: “I said that, _fine_ , but she’s not _stupid_ , kiddo,” he warned her with a low voice: “she’s _much cleverer_ than one would think. Trust me, _I_ know.”

The brat shifted awkwardly, as a look of fear appeared on her features. She then nodded slowly, meeting his eyes again as she replied with a knowing voice:

-“Yeah, you’re right. She is.”

Silent fell between them for a few seconds, until the child sighed once more. This whole argument was getting more than uncomfortable. Her little voice broke the deafening and unpleasant silence:

-“Anyway… Wanna see what we found?” she offered, trying to change the topic. Snatcher couldn’t help but feel relieved: he didn’t want to think at Vanessa at the moment. Not after that dream. He nodded too, taking a deep breath. The kid offered her shoulder again, silently. This time, the spirit didn’t refuse and put his hand over her, trying not to fall as his weight was put on something else entirely.

-“ _Peck_ , you’re not light,” groaned the child, though Snatcher knew she wasn’t completely serious. He had seen her doing much more difficult tasks when she used to be his contractor. She was most likely trying to start an argument with him to lighten up the mood a bit more.

_It was more successful than what Snatcher would have thought_.

-“Oh yeah?” he challenged back, as he felt the little girl leading him to the door she came from earlier: “Where did that strength of yours go? I thought you were a tough kid, but heh, I guess I was wrong!” he taunted her, shrugging with a teasing chuckle. The child replied by pushing him higher, standing on tiptoe suddenly. Snatcher almost lost his balance but managed to stay still. However, his heart immediately went crazy as he thought he was going to fall down again, for a brief instant.

-“ _Excuse me_ , what were you saying?” retorted the brat with an insufferable tone of voice: “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over _the sound of your awful attitude_!”

The ghost laughed louder, putting more weight on her tiny shoulders. Yet, in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but think how _weird_ his laugh sounded with his now human voice… All he could do at the moment was to try to ignore it as much as possible. Thankfully, annoying the hatted brat was one of his _favourite_ pastimes.

-“ _Daw_ , really? Thank you,” he sang with a mocking voice: “It means _so much_ to me!”

The child groaned once again and rolled her eyes, though the shade could see a hint of a smile on her face. She snorted and guided him to the door, which opened like usual. The shade discovered another hallway, with a ramp leading to another door. The kid grabbed his arms to help him to keep his balance despite the change on the ground.

Snatcher almost yanked his arm away, but barely stopped himself in time. If he did, he would fall down the ramp and that wasn’t something he wanted. With a bitter expression, he gritted his teeth: he would need to keep his pride aside for now, if he didn’t want to hurt himself stupidly.

They managed to go down the ramp, at their own pace, even though the shade almost tripped a few times. Thankfully, the brat caught him at the right moment.

God, he hated to be this pathetic.

The other door opened, revealing a new room for the ghost to discover. It was a huge room, with gears stuck on the walls, wooden walls. The floor was covered in red and orange carpet, with some hay scattered around on it. Several machines and control panels could be seen across the room, all making sounds the spirit couldn’t recognize or, well, _had never heard before_. It was something from another time, _a time he didn’t belong in_. In the centre of the room, there was a high platform, on which stood a telescope. From behind the platform emerged the younger child, her hands and clothes covered in oil. She wasn’t wearing her usual clothes, though. Instead, she had put on what looked like light green work clothes, some kind of overalls. Some stains were even visible on her face, mainly on her cheeks, below her nose and on her forehead. She was holding a black monkey wrench in her small and tiny hand.

-“Oh, so you’re up?” she greeted him, a smile on her face: “Hat told me she had heard something, but I wasn’t sure. How are you feeling?” she asked, wiping her dirty hands on her overalls.

The sight was so strange to the spirit: imagining that one of those kids was flying the ship and that the other was taking care of it… _It really was so foreign to him_. Back in his living days, children used to play around, chasing each other with animal masks over their faces… Well, now they were helping him to trap people and steal their souls, _but nothing out of the ordinary, really_!

_This_ , however? This was something Snatcher was not used to.

-“Uh… Fine,” he lied, not wanting to mention his dream. All he wanted to do about it was to forget it completely and never think of it ever again: “I mean, as ‘fine’ as I can be while I’m in this useless body.”

-“Oh, that’s good,” she answered, choosing to ignore the last part of his reply. The child was visibly relieved at his claim, at least.

She stretched and then pointed to a part of the room hidden by the large platform from Snatcher’s point of view.

-“I guess Hat told you about what we’ve been doing all this time. Wanna see?” she asked, though her intonation told the spirit she very well knew his answer to her question. Obviously he wanted to know more about what they had been doing! especially considering the hatted brat had mentioned they still had found some things. Better start somewhere…

-“Yeah, show me,” he replied, determined, as the older brat helped him to follow the bow-wearing kid.

He really hoped that whatever they found would help him and Subcon. Their time was clearly limited, after all…

Snatcher followed the kids farther in the room, discovering what he hadn’t been able to see from where he previously stood. Behind the platform, there was some kind of machine, with a screen showing many lines of information in a language that the ghost couldn’t read. On the surface below the screen, there were a lot of buttons, some blinking in various colours, or levers just waiting to be pulled. The machine emitted a low rumbling sound, something that made Snatcher ill-at-ease: it was an object the spirit was not familiar with. For someone who had lived in a world without technology such as this, and who had remained in an isolated forest for hundreds of years… This was clearly _unsettling_.

Several thin cables had been connected to the machine and the shade’s eyes followed them, trying to figure out where they went. His eyes widened when he saw what stood not so far away from him and from the device: a Time Piece, disassembled, and empty of its magical sand. Next to it was a jar, in which the sand had been placed, gleaming through the glass. The cables were passing through the lid, which had probably been pierced for it to work. His face contorted in anxiety as he saw the tips of said cables just… _Buried in the sand_.

What were they even doing? _This couldn’t be safe, could it_? He had turned back human just by breaking one of those magical hourglasses! And now the kids were playing with its content? Sure, they were time and space experts, he could conceive that… But somehow, he knew that this was not a good idea.

-“What… What’s all this?” he asked, gesturing to the scene in front of him, not finding any other word to describe what he was seeing.

-“Well, _I’m glad you asked_!” replied the bow-wearing kid excitedly, apparently oblivious to the nervousness in his tone of voice. She pointed to the disassembled artefact with the monkey wrench she was holding and started explaining their research: “It’s not very easy to explain, so I’ll spare you the details. To put it simply, we’re currently trying to analyze the properties of the sand coming from the Time Piece.”

She was visibly passionate about the whole process and the ghost guessed that tinkering with stuff seemed to be one of her main hobbies. However… _Something didn’t feel right_ , as if it wasn’t making any sense. It took the shade a couple of seconds to understand what was actually bothering him in her short and simple explanation:

-“But… _Why_?” he asked warily, raising an eyebrow: “Don’t you _already know_ what it’s made of? What it can or cannot do?” Those artefacts belonged to them, to their people, from what he gathered… So why would they need to analyze it? Sure, they were children, fine, _but they were children driving an entire spaceship without any adult supervision_! So that didn’t count, did it?

The smile on the younger kid’s face disappeared as she started to ponder, a little uncomfortable. Oh, did the ghost touch a nerve? Normally, that would at least make him smile, but in this particular case, he was directly concerned by their problem, so his expression remained serious. The hat-wearing child was the one to answer his question, probably noticing the change of attitude from her friend:

-“While we _do_ know how to use them… Only the most ancient people from our planet know about the origins of Time Pieces or what they’re made of. It’s not that it’s a secret, but… People don’t really like to talk about it. So we just don’t.”

A dark expression crossed the brats’ features for a moment and Snatcher couldn’t help but be intrigued. What could possibly explain their discomfort to those magical hourglasses? They never seemed that gloomy when they were talking about them or picking them up before. So why was it different now?

-“Why?” he wondered, squinting.

A deafening silence followed his question as both children looked at each other, as if they didn’t know whether to tell him or not. The hatted brat eventually looked away, curling up a little as an even darker expression appeared on her face. Oh, _touchy topic_ , apparently. Was it _taboo_ or something?

The younger kid had been playing with the folds of her green work clothes, glancing at him awkwardly. She opened her mouth to talk but didn’t find the courage to talk and closed it again, clenching her clothes more tightly.

-“What, is it really _that_ bad?” he insisted and then scoffed, lifting his hand casually: “Worse than being frozen to death in your ex’s basement?” he joked, letting out a low chuckle at his own words. However, while he had expected the kids to relax, seeing that their problem wasn’t as bad as his own death experience… It only made them wince and curl up even more. He was about to open his mouth again when he was cut short by the hatted brat, who was staring into space:

-“There had been a war, long ago,” she said suddenly, in a low tone of voice. Her younger friend looked at her in astonishment, as if she had revealed a forbidden secret. She kept talking nonetheless, as Snatcher’s face slowly crumpled as he was listening to her: “We don’t know the details, but we _do_ know that Time Pieces were the main cause of it. Plenty of people died, some were captured, some went through very awful things… A peace agreement was found years later, allowing the use of Time Pieces for very specific things, such as powering spaceships. And while we do know what is theoretically possible with them… Most information about other uses has been silenced, so that no other war can break out ever again because of them.”

Snatcher remained silent as he stared at the child in bewilderment: never had he seen her so serious, so cheerless… And, deep inside, he could understand, _he could relate_ : he had lost everything a long time ago. _He knew what it felt like_.

Next to them, the bow-wearing kid was fidgeting, uncomfortable. And, well, the ghost quickly felt something akin to guilt appear inside of him. He didn’t like to talk about his past himself, and imaging being forced to mention something shocking coming from it certainly felt more than awful… And wasn’t that what he just did to them? He shouldn’t care, _he really shouldn’t_ , but it was _there_ , and he _hated_ it. He didn’t know what to say anymore, but it wasn’t like there was something to say, was there? Unless it was “sorry”, yet…

Snatcher didn’t want to say it. _He never apologized_.

He cleared his throat, regretting it instantly as the gesture felt terribly foreign in this fleshy body. A fit of coughing took him by surprise, making him grab the most nearby wall so he wouldn’t fall down again. The kids’ eyes widened at his sudden cough and they both got closer, still not touching him, thank God.

-“You… You okay, Snatcher?” asked the hatted brat, all trace of darkness now gone from her face. Somehow, it made the shade feel better… However, he really didn’t want to think about that.

He managed to calm his cough and lifted a trembling hand, showing that he was fine. Or, well, as fine as he could be in his very peculiar situation. The two kids took the hint and stepped away, letting him have some space. Once Snatcher found his breath back, he decided to quickly take the opportunity given to him to change the topic. _This was too much awkward_.

-“So, uh,” he started again, his voice hoarse: “Once you’re done ‘ _analyzing_ ’ the sand or whatever magical thing it is… What comes next?”

Both kids looked away and winced, not reassuring the spirit in any way.

-“Well… We don’t really know for now?” attempted the bow-wearing kid, smiling nervously, playing with the folds of her green work clothes once more. The shade felt a familiar feeling of dread and disappointment settling over him, though he wasn’t really surprised. It seemed that Fate had decided to punish him even more, visibly not satisfied with everything he was already going through.

-“So, we’re back at square one, then?” he answered flatly, not even bothering to yell. It was just another disillusion after all the others he had to experience. _Nothing new in itself_.

-“Wait, before you say anything mean or stupid again,” retorted the hatted child, defending her younger friend: “take a moment to think, for once. How can we know what to do if we don’t have the basic information we need?” she pointed, frowning at his lack of manners.

The ghost closed his mouth, tilting his head: she _did_ have a point, he supposed. But that still meant he had to stay in this body longer, and that wasn’t something he was glad to hear.

-“Yeah, okay, _fine_ , you’re right,” he conceded, rolling his eyes as he made an irritated gesture with his hand: “But you’re going to find at least something, right?”

-“I mean… We hope so?” replied the bow-wearing kid with a shrug: “That’s _kind of the point_ here, isn’t it?”

-“Yeah,” added the hatted brat, raising an eyebrow at him: “That was a pretty stupid question.”

Snatcher felt his anger coming back full force at the nerves of those two kids. Oh, if only he still had his powers! However, all he could do at the moment was to clench his fists and grit his teeth, doing his best to stay calm. Yelling would mean he was letting them get to him, and this was not something he wanted.

-“You know what I meant,” he stressed, glaring at the two children, who were now smiling at him smugly. _Oh, those brats_!

-“Sure,” taunted the hat-wearing kid as she rolled her eyes: “For real, though, we’re on it, so it’s only a matter of time before we find something.”

The spirit squinted:

-“Weren’t you pessimistic about it?” he reminded with a wary tone.

The little girl glanced at her friend and gave her a light punch on her shoulder:

-“Yeah, but we have a great engineer on board!” the bow-wearing child let out an embarrassed laugh and started to rub her shoulder as her older friend kept going: “If anyone’s going to find a solution to your problem, it’s her!”

-“Hat!” giggled the younger little girl, blushing sightly. At the sight, the ghost couldn’t help but roll his eyes. _This was way too sappy for him_.

-“Okay, enough of that,” he called them back to reality with an exasperated intonation: “So, how long is it going to take?”

His words instantly disheartened the little girls, who stopped playing around to look at him. Hesitation was written all over their faces, something that did not reassure the shade in the least:

-“I’d say…” pondered the bow-wearing brat, tapping on her chin as she took some time to think: “It should take us a few days to find conclusive results? Less if we’re lucky.” She saw another look of disappointment cross Snatcher’s face and she lifted her hands in defence as she explained more: “you have to understand that no one ever tried to do what we’re doing in years. We have to do everything on instinct, so of course, it’s going to take some time! But not forever! _Promise_!”

The ghost let out a long sigh, exasperated but not really surprised:

-“So, what do I do in the meantime? Sleep and twiddle my thumbs?” he asked, with an annoyed voice. Oh God, the idea of sleeping was just awful at the moment, he clearly hoped he wouldn’t need to sleep before a while.

Just before the kids were able to answer his question, the spirit felt something in his stomach. At the same moment, a growling sound echoed all around the room, making the shade jump at the sudden noise and at the extremely weird sensation in his body. He lowered his eyes to stare at his stomach in astonishment, having no idea what could have caused such an unpleasant sensation inside of him. A deafening silence fell between the trio for a few seconds… Before the brats started to giggle. The shade gave them a murderous glare, loathing the idea of being laughed at.

The hat-wearing child opened her mouth to talk again, as a wide grin appeared on her face:

-“Well, maybe you could eat, that would be a great beginning!”

The spirit stayed silent and motionless for a while, not knowing how to react. It is only after a moment that he truly realized what she had meant: he- no, _this body_ was hungry, demanding him food. Instantly, a blush took place on his face as he couldn’t help but cover his stomach in shame. God, _humans were so disgusting_ … His reaction only made the children laugh louder, intensifying his shame and anger. Oh, those insufferable kids!

-“Stop mocking me!” he yelled, more and more embarrassed as his stomach kept on growling. But it only encouraged them. After what felt like centuries to Snatcher, the hatted brat eventually approached him, still giggling:

-“You’re just hungry, Snatcher, _oh my pecking God_ ,” she snorted, before offering him her shoulder: “I’ll ask Cookie to come over. Why don’t you go take a bath in the meantime?”

Snatcher stared at her, as if she had said the stupidest thing ever. But oh, she seemed much too serious for this to be a joke. Him, taking a bath, with _this body_? Him, having to watch _this naked thing_?

_This was going to be awful, wasn’t it_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter !  
> See you in the next one (when it comes out) or on my blog ! Thank you so much for all your comments !


	10. “Wh- I’m sorry, what??”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher discovers the joys of a good shower for the first time in centuries.  
> Warning for this chapter : body dysmorphic disorder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, yay ! I'm still having trouble fighting my writer block but I'm glad I managed to finish this chapter. I hope you'll like it !  
> I know I'm always super late at replying to comments, but I read all of them ! You're all so nice, thank you so much !! It means a lot to me !!
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/  
> (In case anyone is interested, my art commissions are open !)

The little girls had brought the ghost to what apparently was the bathroom. Apparently, because it certainly didn’t look like one to Snatcher. Sure, the last time he had seen a bathroom was centuries ago, sure he knew there were some obvious cultural barriers between the kid and him… And yet, his mind had a hard time to comprehend what he was currently seeing.

The shade was now alone in the “bathroom”. Said room seemed to have some kind of marine theme, with several portholes in the walls here and there, some drawer and cupboard handles being seashells and starfishes, some lamp having conch forms… The floor had blue and white squared tiles and the walls had the same colours, displaying some waves and ships patterns. Some plushies could be seen above the cabinets. Next to him, he could see the same kind of pedestal than in the hub, this time displaying some kind of flying machines, abducting cows. What was that? He rose an eyebrow as he wondered, more than confused. Snatcher felt like each room he found out about in that spaceship of theirs always was somewhat disconcerting for him. Okay, well, _extremely disconcerting_ , if he had to be honest.

His eyes scanned the room and fell on an unfamiliar object, surrounded by dirty clothes. It looked like a huge box, filled with water and a lot of bubbles coming out of it. It smelled good, but he couldn’t help but squint as he approached it, the smell hurting his sensitive nose and eyes. The former ghost immediately took a few steps backwards. Whatever that _thing_ was, it was clear that he wouldn’t get near from it again before a while.

The shade explored the room further and found some towels he could use. As for where he would bath… Well, there was no bathtub to begin with, which only left the big cylindrical cabin he had used to enter the room in the first place. He peeped inside and his suspicions were confirmed as soon as he saw the shower head as well as several soap bottles. This made no sense. _This made absolutely no sense to him_. A frown appeared on his face as he examined the inside of said cabin further. There were a few buttons in there, one of which who seemed to lock the second door leading to what had seemed to be the machine room. Well, according to the kids, it was, so who was he to contest them? He pressed it hesitantly and felt somewhat relieved when he saw that it indeed seemed to close the door, a mechanical sound echoing inside the door. The button lightened up in a red light, showing that the command had worked.

_Well, maybe he could do this_.

He stepped out of the shower and looked at himself, his frown intensifying. If he wanted to take a shower… He would need to take his clothes off, wouldn’t he? He shut his eyes at the thought. He didn’t want to see himself naked, this would be the worst humiliation he would get in his situation… But then again, staying dirty was out of the question for him as well… He had to make a choice, and he knew which one would be his final one.

With an exhausted sigh, he leaned on a nearby wall and started to undress, slowly. He kept his eyes closed, wishing to avoid looking at his body as much as possible. His movements were clumsy and unsurprisingly awkward, but who could blame him? He hadn’t touched any piece of clothing in hundreds of years, after all! After what seemed like an eternity, Snatcher lowered the only thing that was left on his body: his underwear, which he blindly dropped on the ground. He couldn’t help but grimace at the very idea of being naked, unprotected by anything. He could feel the air caressing his skin in places he was even less used to. Snatcher gritted his teeth and shook his head. The faster he showered, the faster he could put on some clothes again.

Speaking about clothes… He didn’t have any new ones, did he? He supposed that made sense, it would even be worrying for kids to have adults clothes when they were the only ones aboard… He just hoped he could soon get rid of those _awful_ clothes.

_They brought back too many bad memories to him_.

The former ghost lifted his head and opened his eyes again, making sure not to glance at his lower body. Carefully, he entered the shower and closed the door behind him. A small light switched on as soon as both doors were closed around him and Snatcher gulped. Everything happening from there would be completely new to him. With much hesitation, he looked at the different buttons, whishing he had asked for help before the kids left him on his own. He tried to pull himself together: it was just a shower, how hard could it get?

He took a deep breath… And pressed the first button. As soon as his fingers left said button… A noise came from the ceiling and before the former ghost even had the chance to lift his head in its direction… A spurt of cold water hit his body, making him jump at the sudden and foreign sensation.

-“Oh, damn it, _damn it_!” he yelled, sticking his back to one of the doors in order to avoid the water. His muscles hurt from the sudden movements, but the adrenaline made him a bit unaware of the pain. He took a few seconds to breath in and out, slowly processing what had just happened.

Okay, so this button was for the showerhead hidden in the ceiling. Fine, _cool_ , now he was making progress. He sighed and extended his hand to the commands, intrigued by a button with a plus sign on top of it. He pressed it several times and… Was pleasantly surprised to see that the temperature of the water was changing for something warmer. For the first time in hours, a genuine smile took its place on his lips: finally, he had _finally_ some control over his situation!

With more determination, Snatcher continued to press it until the water was hot enough for him. It took him a bit to get used to the sensation of water running along his body, but it was nice. He let out a sigh as he couldn’t help but close his eyes. He felt like he hadn’t felt that in ages, Gods. His mind was silent for once, letting him enjoy the shower for as long as he could. After a few minutes, he tried to pull himself together: he was there to wash, not stay under the water spray for hours.

His eyes scanned the bottles of soap on the shower shelves, squinting until he realized he just couldn’t read what they were saying. Of course, alien stuff, thus alien language. He pinched his nose, taking a deep breath. Well, time to use his instincts again. What difference did it make at this point? The shade picked up one of the bottles and opened it. He approached it from his nose, inhaling the smell coming out from it… Only to almost drop it.

_Gods, the scent was horrid_.

He felt himself gagging, something he wished to never feel again, and quickly closed the bottle again, putting it back on the shelf as soon as possible. Whatever was in that bottle… He was not going to smell that ever again.

With more hesitation, he picked the next few bottles, reattempting the experience once more. He was prepared to go through the same awful thing than before, but was pleasantly surprised when he smelled something nice for a change. Although, he was absolutely unable to describe any of the scents, most of them being so… Foreign to him. It reminded him of some fruity smells, but nothing more than that. Surely something coming from the little girls’ home planet.

With some moderation, the former ghost took some of it, using the product to wash. Gods, the action felt so foreign… Even though the hot water felt nice on his skin, the feeling of his own hands having to rub his entire body was not something he enjoyed. It was even more difficult considering the fact that he had promised himself not to look at anything lower than his waist for, well, _obvious reasons_. Being dead for years and not having a human appearance for so long made him more than ashamed of his body now. However, with a lot of resolve and stubbornness… The man managed to do a _somewhat decent_ job at rubbing the dirt off himself. It took him a while, but as long as it eventually ended up working, there was no problem, right?

Once he felt clean enough, the resurrected spirit fiddled with the shower commands and managed to turn off the shower head after a few tries. This was much more difficult than the usual taps he knew in bathtubs! And, well, he was almost certain that things had changed a lot since then, even on his own home planet. At this thought, he couldn’t help but be nervous: how many things would he have to learn or even relearn? He didn’t belong to this time, to this day and age. If he had trouble with a simple shower, even if he succeeded in using it, what would it be for more complicated stuff?

This was not something he wished to think about.

He reopened the door of the shower, extending his hand to one of the first towels he could grab. Before he even got the chance to dry himself, he heard some knocks on the other bathroom door, making him jump from the surprise. He let out a yelp and almost slipped to the floor, his feet not keeping him stable under the wet tiles of the shower. His heart was pounding in his chest and his breathing quickened immediately, his eyes instantly focusing on the door as a little voice came through it:

-“Hey, Snatcher, you okay in there?” echoed in the bathroom. It was the hatted brat, her voice worried. She soon added to explain her presence behind the door: “It’s been a good hour now, everything’s alright?”

She made another pause and then asked:

-“I heard you screaming, still alive?”

The man remained silent for a few moments, still trying to breathe in and out calmly. Gods, why was he so jumpy… He heard new knocks on the door after his lack of response, those much faster and urgent than the previous ones:

-“Hey, uh, _hello_? You better reply or I swear I _will_ knock the door down,” she warned, before saying to herself, much quieter: “ _please don’t make me do that_ , for peck’s sake, I don’t want to see anyone naked today. _Not ever, in fact._ ”

That made him react and he took a deep breath, pinching his nose as he replied, irritated:

-“Yeah, yeah, I’m- I’m still here,” he could feel another headache coming. Gods, and here he thought he would have a break… Well, he definitely thought too soon. He sighed and kept going, groaning: “ _Why_ do you need so many buttons for a _shower_?”

He heard the little girl giggling on the other side and, _weirdly enough_ , he found himself to smile. As soon as he realized it, he quickly made it disappear. There was nothing to be happy about in his situation, so why would he smile? This was just so stupid!

-“How many buttons did _yours_ have?” retorted the brat, cutting his thoughts short, as if it were a competition.

-“Well, two, _duh_! One for cold water and the other for hot water! Why would you make it so complicated?! _It’s just a shower_!”

The hatted child laughed louder and he couldn’t help but let out a few giggles as well, against his better judgement. It lasted for a few moments before the kid started to talk again, trying to remain a bit more serious:

-“Okay, so anyway, you’re still alive… Cookie arrived a while ago with Bow. She brought back a few old clothes she had kept in one of her closets. So, yeah, I put the bag in front of the door, so you can take it and choose what fits you the best, I guess,” she explained, before adding: “But wait until I’m out of the room first!”

The young man closed his eyes, frustrated with her attitude: “ _Of course_ I will, who do you take me for?”

Silence was his only answer for a while… Until the brat spoke again:

-“Wait,” she said: “Were you naked _all this time_ back when you were dead? _Can ghosts be naked_?”

The question took the previous ghost completely aback and he stared at the door, bewildered.

-“Wh- I’m sorry, _what_??” he stuttered, absolutely offended by her questions. As for the kid, she just laughed loudly and mischievously, fleeing the room, apparently more than satisfied of her own joke. Stupid brat, he swore he would make her pay as soon as he got back his spectral form.

… _A form that was definitely **not** naked_!

He took another deep breath, forcing his mind to focus on the present. He eyes his old clothes, negligently lying around on the floor. He couldn’t deny the wave of relief he felt at the idea of finally throwing those old things away… _They were associated with a time he didn’t want to remember_.

Yeah. _Some new clothes would be good_.

A loud noise echoed in the room, making Snatcher jump again, only for him to realize it was coming from his own stomach. He cringed at the sound and at the weird sensations he was feeling inside of him… But it was a clear enough signal.

It was time to leave the bathroom and finally eat something. However, somehow… The man did _not_ look forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, at least the shower was not an entirely bad experience--
> 
> Thank you so much for all your support ! It means so much to me, you have no idea ! All your reactions make my days ten times better !
> 
> (you may have or may have not noticed, but I started to change the words I use to refer to Snatcher in this chapter... Well, it may or may not be linked to him starting to have a better opinion on his current situation, even if not by much :)c )


	11. “Let’s chat for a bit, okay?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher meets someone new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER, HELLO THERE
> 
> Sorry for not posting in a while and thank you so much for your patience !  
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter !  
> Thank you so much for all your nice comments, you're the reason I'm still writing today, you're all so great !!
> 
> CAREFUL : this chapter contains depressive thoughts.
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/  
> (In case anyone is interested, my art commissions are open !)

Snatcher covered himself with a colourful towel and opened the other door of the shower, revealing the room he had been in before: the machine room, apparently. It was a wonder how this ship still functioned despite _all the fires_ and _holes_ there were in the engines… That thought made the man _extremely nervous_. Who wouldn’t be, when they were in space, in a seemingly damaged spaceship run by children? Of course, it made him anxious! He could feel his heartbeat increase and he had to take deep breathes in order to calm himself down.

Now wasn’t the time to panic. Everything would be _just fine_. And hey, _who knew_ , maybe he’d become a ghost again if he _somehow_ died at some point? He scoffed at the idea: yeah, _no_ , he knew that wouldn’t work. His knowledge on the supernatural and on magic in general were enough to give him a pretty good idea of what would or wouldn’t work.

Well, especially what _wouldn’t work_.

Once he felt calm enough, he focused once more on the current situation. Right next to the door lied a bag of clothes, all very diverse. This probably was what the hatted brat told him about earlier. With some hesitation, the former ghost bent over it and sunk his hands inside to inspect it. Unsurprisingly, those were all male clothes, very different from what he used to wear before he died. It made sense, in a way, considering a few centuries had passed since then, but that didn’t mean he could adapt that fast to this fact. It was _a lot_ to take in, after all.

It took him a while to find something fitting him. Most clothes were either too small or too big for him. Some looked familiar to him, huge blue costumes especially, and he remembered he had seen these on those mafia goons that sometimes entered his forest. Well, no need to try them on, as they were visibly too big for him. It wasn’t until he reached the bottom of the bag that he found a few clothes that could fit him: one was something he remembered was called ‘t-shirt’, although he didn’t understand where that name came from. Another piece of clothing was a green jacket made out of wool, which would certainly keep his body warm. He found an underwear to his size, though it looked like nothing he used to wear back when he was alive. The last clothes were blue pants that felt _really weird_ to the touch and strange-looking brown shoes with laces.

What the _heck_ was all of that.

With a very confused face, the former ghost did his best to put those clothes on despite his lack of balance. He couldn’t help but have the feeling they wouldn’t be comfortable to wear and oh Gods, _was he right to think so_. The ‘t-shirt’ was the _less worst_ of all, having a strange shape yet a nice texture, so it wasn’t _entirely bad_. However, the jacket was itching him on his arms, the underwear felt _extremely wrong_ on his skin, both because of its form and texture… _But the worst thing was the pants_. Oh, Gods, he absolutely _loathed_ them. The feeling of the fabric on his skin felt so unnatural, and while it seemed a bit elasticated, the man felt like it was too tight around his legs. And what about that thing he had to use to close those pants! What even _was_ that thing?! _Who_ invented _that_?

With his hair still wet from the shower, Snatcher glanced at his own body, all confusion on his face replaced by exasperation and an obvious lack of understanding. How clothes like these could be worn casually? It made no sense to him.

A sudden noise coming from his stomach cut his thoughts short, forcing his mind to come back to reality. Right, the kids had mentioned _someone_ who would cook for them, even if he didn’t remember their name. However, despite his blatant hunger, the former shade didn’t really look forward to eating anything, mostly because he knew this was going to be a _bad experience_. He hadn’t tried doing so yet but, considering how every action as a human, even the littlest ones, were so hard and painful to do again… It was _obvious_ that whatever would happen, _it wouldn’t be enjoyable_.

Snatcher let out a frustrated sigh as another gurgle echoed in the room. Well, it wasn’t like his body was giving him any other choice, so he decided to accept whatever fate destiny had in store for him. He knew it was going to be bad, so it was better to just close his eyes and let fate do its magic. And so, with great reluctance, the former spirit walked away from the shower, taking the bag of clothes with him so he could give them back to whoever they belonged to.

He climbed the metal ladder leading to the upper part of the room, with some difficulties due to his need of adaptation, and approached the door, which opened swiftly once he was close enough to it. That still made him ill-at-ease, if he had to be completely honest, but at least he didn’t jump from surprise anymore, so that was still some progress. He entered the hallway, using the walls to help him to walk in the slope of the floor. No matter how it looked from an exterior eye, Snatcher was definitely getting better at that walking thing. If the movements still felt strange, it was becoming more natural for him, and his legs hurt less from the efforts.

He soon reached the other door, which opened just like the first one. The man arrived in the main hub and glanced around, looking for the kids and whoever they brought onto the ship. However, he was a bit surprised to see that no one was in the room, except for the little vacuum cleaner, still doing its job happily. It greeted Snatcher with a high-pitched sound, bumping into his foot as a way to say hello. He couldn’t help but cringe at the action, still saying nothing as he waited for the little robot to get away from him. Gods, this made him uncomfortable, and yet he felt so ridiculous for that. He could perfectly imagine the kids making fun of him, and he promised himself not to ever mention that in front of them, no matter the circumstances.

Just as he was about to explore the ship to find the little brats, several distant voices caught his attention towards the kitchen. One of them sounded unfamiliar and he guessed it most certainly belonged to the person the girls had mentioned before. Taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst, the former shade braced himself and walked to the green wooden ladder. Just like the one from before, Snatcher gritted his teeth as he climbed, the action being quite trying for someone who had come back to life. Gods, _the things he’d do just to float again_ … With great efforts, he still managed to get back on the top of the platform, his forehead sweating from how hard it was and how warm the jacket was for him during such an exhausting effort. He quickly dried it up on his arm, having nothing else to use other than that. Once he calmed his breathing, he pushed the kitchen door open… And a strong smell hit his nostrils, a delicious one that made his mouth water and his stomach gurgle louder. His hand dropped the bag of clothes on the floor from the shock. Oh Gods, whatever was cooking, _it smelled amazing_. His eyes instantly fell on three silhouettes in front of the gas stove or whatever was the futuristic or alien equivalent.

 _He didn’t even know at this point_.

There was a frying pan on the stove, with something cooking in it that the man couldn’t quite see from where he stood. All he knew was that it had a yellowish or orangish hue and that it smelled _really good_ from his body’s point of view.

The three persons turned in his direction, two of them being the little girls he knew quite well and the other one… Being a cat in a chef’s uniform. _What the heck_.

-“Hey Snatcher!” was the first thing that came out from the hatted brat, soon imitated by her younger friend, waving at him: “Nice clothes,” she said with a thumb up. The bow-wearing kid added her own question:

-“I heard you had some trouble with the shower commands. Did you figure it out _or_ …?”

Snatcher sighed and nodded, a frown on his face:

-“Yeah, I did. I would have _appreciated_ an explanation about them, though,” he reproached, frustrated, making the kids wince at the remark. Well, he _was_ right, so _not his problem_. His eyes then glanced back to the stranger, who was smiling at him, waiting for an opportunity to join the conversation:

-“Oh, hello !” greeted said cat with a feminine and gentle voice, as she approached him, dusting her paws on her clothes. The kids watched them from afar, next to the stove, surely because they originally were helping the other to cook. The hatted brat was watching the food, probably making sure it wouldn’t burn or something… Well, _not that Snatcher trusted her on that regard_ , especially since she seemed to be poking at the food with a fork as if to see if it was still alive or not. The other little girl just slapped her hand away lightly, as if she were telling her it was impolite or something, whispering something Snatcher couldn’t hear from there.

What kind of alien food were the kids eating usually if they had to check if it was dead…? He suddenly became very nervous about the meal he was going to have. Well, in the end, he didn’t really want to know anyway.

Maybe he’d get lucky, since the cat was most certainly a native of the planet, just like he was. And since she was the one in charge of the cooking…

-“The girls and I were just talking about you,” added the stranger, giving the man a bright smile.

-“Oh, _is that so_ …?” replied the former shade, glaring at the kids for talking about him while he was away. Whoever taught them politeness, _they didn’t do a good job at it_. What were they even talking about? The kids faked not noticing him, making Snatcher even more irritated. _If only he still had his powers_ … Apparently, the cat seemed to notice his change of attitude and raised her hands in an apologizing gesture :

-“Oh, don’t worry, it wasn’t anything serious!” she explained, a little bit embarrassed: “They mostly told me what happened so I could be in the know,” she paused and extended her paw for him to take: “I’m Cooking Cat, but you can call me Cookie if you want.”

The man hesitantly took her paw, shaking it lightly:

-“The Snatcher,” he introduced himself, quickly pulling his hand back. The feeling of fur on his hand was _extremely strange_ , new, and a bit overwhelming. He wasn’t ready for that kind of touch yet, he supposed. Cooking Cat didn’t seem bothered by that, as if she had been expecting it. Well, it made sense, if the brats told her about his bad experiences back in a human body.

She stepped away, making her way back to the stove as she replied:

-“I heard some stories about you,” she said, though she didn’t look scared. He couldn’t really blame her, though: who would be afraid of him the way he looked like now?

-“ _Terrifying_ ones, I hope,” he answered, his tone mixed with sarcasm and pride, a very terrible mix. The cat took the frying pan back from the kids, and quickly instructed them to fetch a large plate, which they quickly did. The former ghost came closer and finally got to see what was cooking: a few grilled cheese sandwiches. The sight and smell made his mouth water again. Gods, he _hated_ being hungry and what that feeling did to him and his body.

-“Yes, _for the most part_. I must admit I didn’t think you were real until the girls told me about you and asked me to come here,” she confessed, looking a bit embarrassed as she did so: “I mostly heard about you from urban legends and scary tales for kids.”

-“Yeah, _scary_ , right…” scoffed the hat-wearing brat, probably in order to tease him. He shot her a warning glare, which effect was only to make her and her friend giggle more. _Those brats_.

-“ _Anyway_ ,” the cat spoke again, decided to change the topic for something lighter. She pointed to him with a smile: “I’m glad the clothes fit you well. I borrowed them from friends, you can keep them until you’re able to buy yours.”

That sentence suddenly made Snatcher realize that he had no money to buy clothes with. Or anything else, really. His thoughts must have been pretty easy to read from his expression as Cooking Cat lifted her paws again:

-“Don’t worry, you’re not in a rush, keep them as long as you need to,” she told him with a reassuring tone.

-“Yeah!” added the bow-wearing kid with a sympathetic smile - _ugh_ \- : “We’ll help you to find more clothes! And, _not to brag_ , but I’m pretty good at picking clothes.”

-“She is,” upheld her older friend, “Whereas _I’m_ the pon catcher,” she teased and then laughed, only to receive a light hit from the other with her elbow, giggling as well:

-“ _Hattie_!”

The former shade couldn’t help but cringe at the sight. Gods, this was _much too sappy_ for him. Next to him, Cooking Cat was looking at them fondly, like a mother figure watching her kids teasing each other. She eventually turned back to the stove, turning it off and lifting the frying pan in the air until she found a plate to drop the sandwiches on it.

-“Food’s ready!” announced the cat, smiling brightly. She put the frying pan in the sink and opened the tap to cool it down. She then handed the plate to the kids for them to pick a sandwich from. Without too much surprise, said kids were more than happy to finally eat something. Snatcher, in comparison? _Not so much_. The smell was perhaps appetizing, but the very idea of putting something _material_ in his mouth after centuries of eating souls, immaterial remains of what used to be alive at some point… This was _extremely different_ and he didn’t want to find out _how_ exactly. However, his thoughts of disgust and nervousness were cut short as he was handed the plate as well. Eyes were on him instantly, waiting for him to take a sandwich too. The man couldn’t help but feel even more nervous, being stared that way made him quite uneasy. The cat was showing patience as she held her arm in the air, holding the plate still, as if she somehow knew what went through his mind. The hatted brat was about to say something, her face clearly mischievous, but her younger friend slapped her hand over the other’s mouth, preventing her to say anything. That action alone silenced the older girl, though she frowned at the bow-wearing kid, visibly unhappy with the latter’s reaction.

After what felt years to him, Snatcher eventually extended a hesitant hand to the plate, grabbing a sandwich. A scowl was plastered on his face, showing how anxious the whole situation made him. He could feel his mouth watering even more, saliva pilling up inside and making him even more uncomfortable. As if to encourage him, the bow-wearing kid took a bite of her own sandwich, soon imitated by her older friend, both stopping looking at him to focus on their food instead. Somehow, knowing he wasn’t the centre of the attention anymore made Snatcher feel a bit better. His posture relaxed and his expression softened, as he eyed his food with a wary look.

He was just _so ridiculous_ , being afraid to eat a sandwich, out of _any possible food in the universe_. A pat on his arm suddenly brought the former ghost back to reality with a slight jump, his eyes looking for the reason of the contact. It was Cooking Cat.

-“You don’t have to eat, you know,” she offered with compassion, “We can put it in the fridge for later, when you feel ready for that.”

The abrupt sign of concern hit Snatcher’s pride _right in the face_. An angry blush appeared on his cheeks and he furrowed his brow. He _loathed_ being pitied, especially for such a trivial matter. It was just _food_ , what was he, _a kid_?! With a scoff, the man rolled his eyes: yeah, _right_! As if the powerful ghost of Subcon Forest couldn’t do something that simple!

Irritation soon replaced his apprehensiveness and he quickly brought the sandwich to his mouth, pushing all the nervous thoughts out of his mind. _He didn’t need those right now_. Without thinking anymore, he opened his mouth and took a bite.

It was at this particular instant that Snatcher realized he had _definitely_ underestimated _how much_ this would affect him. As soon as the food entered his mouth and touched his tongue, the former spirit was hit by a wave of sensations he hadn’t felt in years. The taste of food, the warmness of it on his tongue and on his inner cheeks, the texture of each ingredient, how everything together formed all new tastes-

 _It was absolutely overwhelming_.

It was hard to explain how _weird_ and _strong_ all those new sensations were to Snatcher. He couldn’t help but freeze as his mind was unable to do anything else but focus on everything he was feeling at the moment. The taste was indescribable, in a way the man couldn’t describe as positive or negative. It was just _there_ , flooding his brain with many, many signals he hadn’t expected to feel and didn’t understand yet. The texture was… _Not_ something he enjoyed. The presence of something material in his mouth was strange and unnatural to him. Snatcher’s mouth remained motionless, not moving nor chewing because he was too shocked to actually think of doing so. His stomach gurgled louder and… _It hurt_ , as if someone were _twisting_ his guts in the most _painful_ way.

Was _this_ how hunger felt like? Like his guts were twisted again and again _and again_? Gods, how he _loathed_ that feeling.

Snatcher’s thoughts were once more cut short as the hatted brat called out to him, this time not held back by her younger friend:

-“Uh, Snatcher…?” she started, hesitantly, raising one of her eyebrows as she continued: “You know you have to _chew_ and _swallow_ … Right?”

The words didn’t register right away in the former spirit’s mind. When they _did_ , however, Snatcher felt his face heat up in embarrassment. _Hell_ , learning to control a body after centuries was _awful_. Frowning even more, he started to move his jaw, though a bit awkwardly at first. The feeling of his teeth crushing food was so foreign, so… _Weird_ , and almost _disgusting_ , if he started to think about it too much. The sound of chewing echoed in his head, and he felt the need to close his eyes. It was loud, loud, _too loud_ , **_much too loud_**. He didn’t know when he had to stop chewing. Did the food need to be a complete food mash? He had _no idea_ , and his embarrassment just intensified as the seconds passed. He knew he was being watched, _he knew that_ , and it all made everything _worse_.

After a while, when he felt the food was just a mashed mix of ingredients… He tried to swallow, the same way he managed to when it came to saliva. Strangely… It didn’t go the wrong way. Instead, the former shade felt the food coming down in his throat, rubbing each wall inside in the most uncomfortable possible way. The man cringed and shivered from the sensation, eyes shut hard and his body tensed more than he ever imagined.

 _There_. He had chewed and swallowed _the first bite_. Woah. _How amazing_ , truly. Now there were _a dozen_ more to go, _now this was just great_.

Claps suddenly echoed in the room, making Snatcher jump. He quickly reopened his eyes, only to find the two kids cheering upon him by clapping their hands. The sound was ringing in his head each time their palms met, making him cringe again and again. The little girls were smiling, looking at him with wide eyes, full of… Admiration? Pride? Happiness? No, this couldn’t be that. _This just couldn’t be_. They weren’t cheering for him, _how could they_?

 _Snatcher was being mocked_. He knew that, he was ridiculous, he couldn’t even eat properly, he was even more pathetic than a human, he couldn’t believe it- No one would ever cheer on someone for something that simple, _something anyone could do easily but him_.

The former ghost gritted his teeth strongly, so much that it hurt. Inside his chest, he felt like something was squeezing his organs, even squeezing at something that wasn’t really there in the first place. His hands were shaking, no, _his whole body was_. His face was becoming hotter and hotter, red like a tomato from how _furious_ and _ashamed_ he felt at the moment.

This was stupid, _so stupid_ , why was this happening to him, why, _why_ , **_why_** -

With a strangled cry, Snatcher threw the rest of the food on the floor violently. All the ingredients scattered on the black and white tiles with a repugnant sound, and silence fell in the room, the kids stopping their cheering instantly. Shock was on everyone’s face but Snatcher’s, his own frowning to the point where it just hurt.

 _He didn’t want this_ , never in his life and afterlife did he wish for such a terrible humiliation.

Ignoring the loud and high-pitched reproaches of the hatted brat, the man turned away, fleeing the room quickly despite how unstable he still was on his legs. He didn’t even see the kids and cat’s face well before he snapped, _but he could perfectly imagine it_. The hat-wearing girl was angry, revolted by his behaviour, by how he wasted food that was made for him, _disappointed in him_ -

The younger kid certainly had that awfully annoying worried expression plastered on her face, pitying him, _like they all were_ -

As for the cat, Snatcher was certain she either felt outraged like the older brat or upset like the younger one.

The man left the room as fast as he could, feeling his legs trembling more and more. It wasn’t like he could leave - _he was in space after all, stuck in a spaceship_ -, but he just wanted to be alone, alone, _alone for the love of Gods_! The man’s breath was heavy and he could hear voices calling out to him, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying. A loud and deafening ringing noise was playing in his mind, hitting the walls of his skull at each heartbeat. He wanted to flee, _wanted to go away so much_ -

He went down the mezzanine, his fists clenched, his nails almost piercing the skin. He was just at the middle of the large hub room when his left foot walked on the shoelace of his other foot, shoelaces he hadn’t tied up before. Instantly, it was like he had received a bucket of freezing water on his head as he realized that his body was falling, falling onwards, _and he couldn’t stop it_. He lost his balance, his arms instinctively tensed before him to protect him from the impact. Just before hitting the floor, he shut his eyes hard… And something wet leaked from them.

 _Oh_. He was crying. _Now, this was just pathetic_ -

The shock of the impact shut his thoughts up, silencing them immediately. A breathless cry left his lips as the air of his lungs were forced out of his body. Pain spread in his whole body, making him curl up from the ache, from the humiliation, _from how bad he felt_.

He didn’t want to be a human. _Especially not who he used to be_.

Far away in the room, the little cleaning robot seemed to watch with concern, beeping in a lower tone than usual. It looked like it understood that it was best not to approach Snatcher in his current state of mind.

The kitchen door opened swiftly, revealing the trio watching him from the top of the mezzanine. Just like he had expected… The hatted brat was angry and the other kid looked just as sad as he had thought. As for Cooking Cat… Her expression was unreadable. Was she worried? Disappointed? He didn’t know.

-“What the peck, Snatcher?!” yelled the older girl, gripping at the railing of the mezzanine as she bent over it: “Why did you-”

The former ghost had expected to hear yells and reproaches - _who wouldn’t in his situation, after all?_ -, but… The hatted kid was silenced by Cooking Cat, the latter putting her paws on the children’s shoulders. Her grip on them seemed to be stronger than it should normally be, as if she were trying to catch their attention, which apparently worked, as silence fell into the room. The little girls looked at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity, though the anger was still very much visible on the hatted brat’s face.

-“Why don’t you two prepare a bed for your friend while he and I talk for a bit?” she offered them, with a tone that was nice but still wasn’t just a suggestion, _or maybe a strong one_.

Both of the kids looked at each other before glancing at Snatcher, who was still lying on the floor, more than humiliated. _Why_ did the cat want to talk to him? He didn’t _need_ comfort, he just wanted things to go back as they were! _Why couldn’t it be simple_?! Why did it have to be so hard and so unbearable? _He didn’t ask for any of this_!

Surprisingly, the children listened to Cooking Cat and nodded, probably because they understood how serious the other was. They remained hesitant for a few moments as if they were having second thoughts about all of this, but they eventually left the room, entering the hallway leading to their bedroom, whispering to each other.

Snatcher _loathed_ this, he _hated_ what was happening to him, _this wasn’t fair_! He gritted his teeth, hearing the cat approaching him one step after the other. What did she want to talk about? _They didn’t even know each other_ , what would be the point?! She wouldn’t be able to help him, only the kids were, _and they weren’t able to do so quickly_! All he had to do now was to wait, while he could only hope for Vanessa not to go crazy and _freeze the entire forest again_! But _sure_ , he could play the _perfect little human_! After all, this could _only_ be a fun experience!!

He hadn’t realized he had been holding his head until now, his nails scraping his scalp painfully. He felt a paw on his shoulder, rubbing it slowly and gently. It made him jump once more, his eyes shutting hard: he could barely handle his emotions and _now_ he had to handle the sensation of a paw rubbing his shoulder?! But as he was about to complain, Cooking Cat spoke first, with a calm and soothing voice that silenced him completely:

-“Let’s chat for a bit, okay?” she offered, her tone full of compassion and understanding.

Snatcher _didn’t want_ to talk, he _didn’t want_ to be comforted! Comfort was for kids, for helpless people, and he was _neither of those things_! And yet… _Yet_ …

The man nodded silently, tears suddenly leaking out of his eyes and gross sobs leaving his mouth, echoing all around them in the room.

 _Snatcher just wanted to feel good for once_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh will you believe me when I say this chapter was supposed to be completely fluff and all... But it just went downhill as I wrote it and I couldn't stop it. It just happened. Well, in a way, I imagine Snatcher having good and bad times, it's not a linear experience, having to like himself and his old self. So yeah...  
> But next chapter is going to be calmer and Snatcher will have the opportunity to talk about things a bit.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and my drawings !  
> See you on the next chapter !
> 
> (Also I'm posting this four days before my birthday, look at me giving you a gift when it's my birthday soon idjqhdihqdu. ANYWAY. Hope y'all have a great day !!)


	12. “You’re bad at telling scary stories.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher has a talk with someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER HEEEEY  
> I hope you'll like it ! I managed to work quite well on "Being Human" recently and I finished writing the 14th chapter yesterday (and it's a long one too) ! I had a blast writing the 12th and 14th chapter and I can't wait for you to read it !
> 
> Thank you so much for all your support, it means so, so, so much to me. I know I keep repeating this, but this is the truth. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today.
> 
> Fun fact: I will soon draw my 100th drawing on "A Hat In Time" (I'm colouring the 98th one and I sketched the 99th one, I genuinely wonder what the 100th will represent!). I have been extremely productive this year, I think I drew like 150 pictures (in general) from the beginning of 2020 to today. And it's all thanks to you guys !! Thank you so much !
> 
> ANYWAY.  
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)  
> You can find my art blog here : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/
> 
> Happy reading !

-“Here, come this way,” instructed Cooking Cat, as she led him to the machine room, her face serious now that the kids were nowhere in sight.

Snatcher’s expression showed how confused he was, seeing where she was taking him. Why there? He didn’t have his place in this room, and certainly neither did she, unless he greatly underestimated her. If she saw his face, she didn’t say anything, leading him further into the ship instead, stopping in front of a green door with the pictogram of a brush on the centre of it. Where would it lead? A playroom perhaps? A room dedicated to hobbies? After all, with such a huge ship, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to find a room like that inside.

The door opened swiftly revealing - _another!_ \- hallway, just as sloped as the others. Oh, this was just _great_ , especially with how he fell earlier. His legs hurt. Well, _everything did_ , but mostly his legs. However, the cat seemed to notice the scowl on his face and offered her paw for him to remain stable.

-“Need some help?” she offered, concern plastered all over her face. Ugh, Gods, did Snatcher _hate_ that expression. It just made him feel even more pathetic than he already was.

-“No,” he spat, keeping his eyes fixed on the slope not to stumble, “I can walk on my own. I’m not a stupid baby, _thank you_ ,” he added, his stone still very harsh. Deep inside, he knew the other was just trying to help, but he couldn’t keep the words inside. He was too mad at himself, at _the whole situation_ to care. But, surprisingly, Cooking Cat only smiled at him and pulled her hand back.

-“Okay,” she simply replied and the former ghost cringed at her compassionate tone. Still… This was a very different reaction than what he had expected. The hatted brat would have yelled at him, the other one would have given him a sad look… But Cooking Cat just agreed, not looking different than usual, despite his harsh words.

Somehow… Somehow, it felt like he wasn’t rushed to accept his current “condition” for once. _It was a nice change_. He knew the little girls had been trying to help him, but this was different, in a way he couldn’t describe precisely.

_Great_ , and _now_ he was feeling bad. Just another negative feeling on the top of all the terrible ones he was already feeling, perfect, _fantastic_. The former ghost avoided looking at Cooking Cat, guilt eating him inside. This was so ridiculous: he was ( _used to be…?_ ) a soul-stealing spirit, one that forced people to work for him only to kill them afterwards… And _now_ he was feeling guilty? _What the heck_?

“ _This is just this stupid human brain_ ,” he thought grumpily as they walked into the hallway, the cat adapting her pace to match his, not forcing him to go faster than he could. He hated to be pitied that much, it just reminded him that he was less capable than any human… Yet, a part of himself felt grateful for it, no matter how much he was trying to repress it.

Snatcher wasn’t weak, _he didn’t want to be_. How could he, with _an entire village_ to protect against a crazy Queen? _It was his responsibility_.

They eventually reached the other door, which opened just as quickly as the first one. The sight that greeted Snatcher’s eyes was definitely not one he had expected. His jaw dropped from the surprise, his eyes glancing everywhere, examining his surroundings with much interest.

It was a gallery. The walls were green, with burgundy columns in the corners of the room. The floor was covered in red carpet, with round, darker patterns on it. A long light green rug was in front of them, starting from the door to the opposite wall. On their left was a pedestal on which was exhibited a bust with a golden, shiny necklace. Just as expected, the room was full of paintings, all very different from one another. Most of them represented the hatted girl, others showed people he didn’t know, or ones he vaguely remembered such as the mafia goons who often wandered in his forest. He entered the room, more than impressed with what he was seeing… Until he found a _particular_ painting that caught his attention.

-“Hey, that’s me!” he exclaimed, surprised. He moved just in front of the painting, admiring it in bewilderment: his previous ghostly appearance could be seen in the middle of the picture, as if he were screaming, though his expression wasn’t a horrified one. The setting seemed awfully familiar to him, as if he had seen another version of that painting somewhere else. Huh. _Weird_.

Confusion replaced his initial surprise as questions echoed in his mind. However, his lips moved on their own, voicing them as he kept his eyes stuck on the painting before him:

-“ _Who_ made that?” he asked, unable to look anywhere else.

Cooking Cat stayed silent for a brief moment, as if to think, before replying, unsure:

-“I don’t know,” she answered trustfully: “I’ve only been here once, to be completely honest. I tried asking about it, but the girls avoided the question. They’re usually pretty talkative, but there are some things they try not to talk about. So… I don’t force them.”

The former ghost remembered what the kids told him earlier, about the war that broke out between their people… If this was something like that, it made sense they didn’t want to talk about it. He couldn’t really blame them, considering he didn’t like to mention his own past. However… This was different: his face was _literally_ on the picture, he was _directly_ concerned by this! He never gave anyone the right to use his image! Really, the nerve of some people, _he should sue_!

But, as he finally managed to inspect the other paintings as well… He realized that he wasn’t the only one concerned, seeing as some pictures featured other people, like that awfully annoying tourist that always managed to avoid his traps…

For real, _who_ painted those? Certainly not the kids: he had seen their drawings and they _certainly_ didn’t look like that. These paintings were obviously made by professionals, people who knew how to draw and how to colour. _What a strange mystery_ …

Snatcher was brought back to reality as Cooking Cat called out to him softly. He turned in her direction, noticing only now that she was sitting on the floor, patting the spot next to her, as an invitation for him to join her.

-“You’re kidding, right?” he asked, with a mix of confusion and mockery in his voice.

-“Trust me,” she answered, patting the spot harder, clearly insisting. The man looked at her for a few seconds, wondering how _naive_ she could be to think he’d sit on the floor just because he was _asked_ to… But no matter how motionless he remained, she just kept her eyes on his, waiting patiently for him to sit, not pushing him nor rushing him to do so.

_Just waiting_.

It wasn’t long until her stare made him ill at ease, made him feel like he was ridiculous, just like a child throwing a tantrum at his patient mother. But as soon as that thought came to his mind, he realized this wasn’t really far from the truth, given how _motherly_ Cooking Cat had acted up until now… And he had just admitted he was behaving like a kid.

_Now that was just great_.

With a loud and frustrated sigh, Snatcher eventually gave in and sat next to her, a clear frown visible on his face. His arms were around his legs, keeping his knees close to his chest. He stared at her with irritation:

-“Fine, I’m sitting next to you. _Amazing_. What now?” his voice sounded bored and exasperated, but he was actually intrigued, if he had to be completely honest. Why would she take him to this room, only to have him sit on the carpet? As if this was going to help him fight his so-called emotions! Ugh.

_Being human sucked_.

However, before he was able to say anything else, he felt a powerful tug on the collar of his jacket, pulling him down to the floor. His back soon hit the ground, though not as hard as he thought it would. His head thankfully was stopped by the cat’s paw before any possible impact. Snatcher’s eyes were wide open from the surprise and the shock, looking everywhere as the gears in his mind started to turn. And then it clicked.

Cooking Cat had pulled on his collar, forcing him to lie down, his back against the soft carpet.

-“Hey!” he protested, trying to straighten up once more: “What do you think you’re doi-”

Yet, despite his wish to yell at the other for her over-familiar gesture, he was silenced both by the cat and by the sight caught by his eyes.

-“Hush and look up,” she simply said, pointing at the ceiling, forcing him back down. She lied down as well, putting her chef’s hat aside as she did so. Snatcher stopped moving as he stared at what was above him, speechless with awe. A glass ceiling, one he could see through, one that showed him many stars and planets so, _so far away_ from him and yet _so beautiful_.

-“What-,” started the former ghost, only to close his mouth, not sure what to say. A lot of conflicted emotions were echoing in his mind, like exasperation, impatience but, most of all, confusion. Why would she bring him here out of every room in the spaceship? Why would she make him lie down to look at Space - _not that he’d complain about that last point_ \- ? What was she trying to achieve by doing so? Snatcher didn’t understand and that only made him even more irritated.

Thankfully, Cooking Cat seemed to pick up on his emotions without having him explain them in details. It really was impressive how she managed to read people like open books and, in a way, that made the man quite uneasy. Knowing his heart could be so exposed to someone he barely knew… _This was not something he enjoyed_.

-“Thought you might like this,” she explained calmly: “I wanted to talk to you in private and, well, we might as well be in the nicest room of the ship, right? Plus… We have such a good view, here.”

Snatcher stared at her, not sure what to answer at first. Yet… He could only agree. They _did_ have a really good view. The stars were all shiny, very distinct from the black, interstellar void. Planets could be seen in the distance, like ants walking on the glass ceiling. Somehow, lying down and watching all of that gave the man the feeling of floating above water, as if he were drifting away and seeing the sky moving. In a way… This wasn’t entirely false, as the ship _was_ drifting away. Still, the sight remained particularly magnificent and very different from what he was used to see in Subcon Forest, even at the top of his tree.

-“There isn’t _anything_ to talk about,” replied Snatcher with a scowl, glancing away. Why would he talk to someone he just met? He would be stupid to do so, especially since he didn’t even like talking to people to begin with. Well, unless they could be useful to him in any way, he supposed. In any case, personal topics were a definite no-no and nothing this cat could say would change anything.

-“Really?” answered Cooking Cat with a false surprised intonation: “I thought you’d like to hear about one of the tales I was told when I was only a kitten, you know, _the one about you_.”

Okay, _maybe_ Snatcher was ready to talk about some personal topics.

He squinted, wary, eying the cat with suspicion:

-“You’re trying to gain my trust to make me talk, aren’t you?” he accused her, though she only smiled more at his accusations, lifting her paw to her heart to feign being hurt by them.

-“ _Me_?” she gasped with exaggeration: “Oh, no, I would _never_!”

The man just frowned even more. Yeah, she was _totally_ trying to make him talk. At this thought, he let out a long and loud irritated sigh. _Whatever_ , it wasn’t like he could get out of this situation anyway. He had the feeling the cat wouldn’t let him, especially with how he had behaved earlier. And so, what could he do but to endure this, if it meant he could leave faster and stay alone to mope just like he wanted to? Thus, with an audible and exaggerated groan, Snatcher agreed.

-“ _Fine_ ,” he grunted, already feeling he was going to regret this, “Hope it’s scary, otherwise keep it to yourself,”

-“Oh, it is,” she confirmed, nodding vigorously: “It kept me up at night many times. We were told that naughty kittens would be taken away by a mysterious spirit called “The Snatcher”, only to be eaten and forgotten by their family.”

The former shade listened attentively, wondering where the story would go. Well, so far, the story was half true. He didn’t kidnap kittens, but he did eat people somewhat, so _heh_ , close enough.

-“So, I was your Bogeyman equivalent, basically,” he interrupted, not sure what to think of that. It was nice to know he terrified children, but being compared with such a ridiculous monster was kind of an insult. His words made his interlocutor laugh though, and she continued telling her story:

-“Ahaha, yeah, pretty much! I used to fake not being scared by it in front of my parents, but as soon as night came, I would always shake like a leaf under my bedsheets. It lasted a few years, I must admit,” she giggled awkwardly at the memory: “But you know, I’m glad I was scared of you as a kitten,” she confessed, glancing back at him with a warm smile.

-“Why?” retorted Snatcher, quite perplexed. Why would someone be happy about something like that? Usually, people would do everything to repress childhood traumas like this, or at least laugh about it later… But being happy about it? This sounded off, if not just wrong.

-“Because one night, I was so scared I couldn’t sleep. And so, I slipped out of bed and rummaged through my parents’ bookcase, doing my best not to wake them up… And then, I found what changed my whole life.”

-“And _that_ was…?” asked Snatcher curiously, still wondering how he could have indirectly impacted someone’s life so much. He disliked helping people, so even doing so without _actually wanting to_ made him frustrated.

-“The first cooking book I ever read,” she told him with, perhaps, the most heartfelt expression he had ever seen: “It wasn’t special or anything, just an old book my mother had kept just not to throw it away… But I was immediately hooked on it. Just thinking about creating something new from completely different ingredients… It’s, _woah_ , you know?”

The former spirit remained silent, not sure how to answer. He wanted to retort something disagreeable, he wanted to shut her up, wanted not to listen to her sappy backstory… And yet, he kept his mouth close, for a reason he couldn’t quite place.

_Was he becoming soft_?!

Hating the sound of that thought, he just scoffed at her words. Yet, he already knew it wasn’t as sincere as his usual mockeries were. It felt like he was just trying to prove to himself that he was still the horrible and terrifying ghost he had been the last few centuries. This just made him feel ridiculous, ugh.

-“Hey, it’s true!” protested Cooking Cat with a little nudge, though she didn’t seem like she was offended by his attitude. Instead, she seemed to take it lightly, like a joke or something: “I remember that time so clearly. I went down in the kitchen in the middle of the night and I tried cooking something from the book. But not only did I end up cooking something that tasted _terrible_ , but I also woke up my parents in the process!” she started to laugh again, staring into space as she looked like she was remembering it fondly: “Oh, they were mad, _really mad_ , I can tell you that. But still, it made me realize how much I loved cooking and it soon became my dream job afterwards.”

-“Couldn’t have guessed,” he remarked sarcastically, hinting at her own name, which was pretty obvious on that regard.

-“Oh, _hush_!” she nudged him once more, still mischievously. Her smile faded after a few moments and she let her eyes wander in the interstellar void. Silent fell between the two and Snatcher couldn’t help but imitate her, watching the stars drift away through the window, his ears catching up on the many sounds caused by the ship. The constant whirring of the engine was… _Soothing_ , so much that he almost fell back asleep at some point, only to be brought back to reality as Cooking Cat started to talk again:

-“So, I guess… I wanted to thank you. For existing and for being _you_ , I mean,” she said softly: “Without you, I wouldn’t have become what I am today. Thank you.”

Snatcher glanced away, his expression turning bitter. He didn’t want to be thanked for anything. He didn’t want to help anyone, _he didn’t want to be nice_ , even indirectly! He was a soul-stealing ghost, an entity who had murdered countless of people and had done so without feeling any guilt!

… Well, he didn’t anymore, at least. _But that wasn’t the point_!

Apparently, his face must have been pretty obvious to read as the cat spoke again, an embarrassed tone in her voice:

-“Sorry, I think I said more than I should have,” she confessed, giving him an apologetic look: “I didn’t want to make you feel ill-at-ease. But, if that makes you feel any better, you _did_ give me plenty of nightmares as a kitten, so that makes us even, right?”

The former spirit only scoffed again, this time much more sincere than the last. Gods, this was so sappy, he could almost throw up because of it… Well, _figure of speech_ , considering that he didn’t really _want_ to experience that out of everything possible from being back from the dead. Still, this was some mushy stuff right there, _exactly_ what exasperated him the most.

And yet, he kept his mouth closed once more. The other waited patiently, not pushing him to say or do anything and… _It really felt nice_. And while he was still feeling pretty… _Bad_ , it was still better than a while ago. At least, he was calmer and less likely to snap.

It is only at that moment he realized that Cooking Cat’s purpose had not been to make him talk about his feelings… But just make him feel better, if only a little bit, never forcing him to listen if he didn’t want to. Snatcher frowned, though it wasn’t from irritation this time.

He was feeling guilty and _he hated that_. Why did he have to feel things like that?! However, the former shade did his best to push that thought away, very much aware that this would only lead him to snap again. And so, Snatcher took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did so. He couldn’t describe how much he had needed that.

-“You know,” he reopened his eyes after a few minutes of silence, “You’re bad at telling scary stories,” he eventually said, the tinge of a smile on his lips.

Cooking Cat smiled back at him, not taking that as an insult… _Because it wasn’t really one, in the end_. Fortunately, she was observant enough to notice that instantly.

-“I know, I know,” she answered with a short giggle, before continuing, her eyes fixed on his as a more serious expression appeared on her features: “I hope you’ll teach me someday, though.”

The message between those words was clear to the man: “ _I’ll always be there if you need to talk again, never fear to ask_ ”. Although… He couldn’t deny he was quite hesitant on the matter. After centuries spent without talking to anyone about his - _ugh_ \- ‘feelings’, suddenly doing so wasn’t really easy. On the contrary, it was pretty difficult. However, another thing he couldn’t deny was how he felt a bit better after talking to the cat, even if they hadn’t talked about anything related to the recent events. But perhaps it was the reason, maybe he was feeling better because she hadn’t mentioned anything about that, because she had let him choose whether he wanted help or not… And it felt nice, to have his boundaries being respected like that.

He had needed this.

-“Maybe,” he finally replied with a small nod, his eyes fixed on the glass ceiling: “not sure you can handle it, though, I _am_ pretty scary,” he joked, even though it was still a little hard to do so considering how he was feeling at the moment. But it did the job and Cooking Cat laughed again:

-“Oh, _don’t worry_ , I’m kind of stubborn,” she assured him. After a few more moments of silence, she stood up, catching Snatcher’s attention: “The girls must be waiting for us, by now. Let’s go back,” she told him, offering her hand to help him to stand up.

The thought of seeing the brats again after the incident in the kitchen made him quite uneasy, for obvious reasons. It would be stupid to wonder about what they talked about, considering what had just happened. He didn’t really want to see them now, yet some part of him knew that waiting would just make things worse. And as they were the only persons in the world able to revert him to his spectral form… It was best to avoid any conflict with them.

And so… Snatcher took Cooking Cat’s paw, the cat waiting patiently for him to do so. He stood up just like her, his posture tensed as he agreed to her words:

-“Yeah… Let’s go back.”

Whether the bad feeling he had about this was going to become reality or was just the product of his pessimistic nature… He didn’t know yet. But he would very soon.

_Snatcher did not look forward to it_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this dialogue when, in reality, dialogue is one of my weak points, alongside writing action scenes. I hope you liked this chapter ! It wasn't the longest one but it was one of them! (7 pages and approximately 3700 words).
> 
> I read all of your comments and I love every single one of them. Thank you so much for following me and my fanfictions, thank you for leaving kudos and thank you for leaving such lovely comments. It really means so much to me, I mean it.
> 
> See you on the next chapter, take care everyone ! :)


	13. “What’s ‘Corgi Quest’?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher makes up with the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, yohoo ! I hope you'll like it !  
> Thank you for all your lovely comments, you're all so nice !!
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)  
> You can find my art blog here : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/
> 
> Happy reading !

With Cooking Cat to help him to stay stable in the hallway, going back to the spaceship hub was easier. Snatcher didn’t like being reminded of how weak he looked at the moment, but he had managed to push his pride aside, if only for a brief moment. The cat was nice and considerate enough to make no comments about it, which was more than welcome for the former spirit.

It didn’t take them long to leave the first hallway and to cross the machine room. When they reached the second and last hallway before reaching the hub, voices could be heard from the other side of the door, informing them that the little girls were there. Suddenly, Snatcher felt his heart sunk in his chest. God, why was he reacting this way! There was literally nothing to be afraid of! It wasn’t the first time he had angered the brats and it certainly wouldn’t be the la-

Wait. Why was he even worried about that anyway? He was the powerful ghost of Subcon Forest! He had killed so many people and now he was worried about little children being mad at him? Oh please, what a joke. He rolled his eyes at himself, Gods, he was so stupid.

A little pat on his hand cut his thoughts short, catching his attention. Just like before, Cooking Cat was patting him, trying to reassure him, to comfort him. Ugh.

-“It’ll be okay,” she assured with a smile: “I’m sure they forgave you already.”

The former spirit glanced away, both irritated and embarrassed, because heck, he hated being this easy to read. How was she even able to do that? Well, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was annoying and that it made Snatcher think about things he’d rather ignore. He let out a long and exhausted sigh, turning to the cat with a scowl on his face:

-“Oh _please_ , I don’t care what they think. They might as well be sulking, it changes absolutely nothing for me,” he groaned, more than exasperated: “All I care about is to be dead again. That’s all.”

The other only nodded her head as an answer. She probably knew it was best not to argue with him on that topic, considering how sensitive it was for the moment. Whatever wanted to say at his words, she kept it for herself, staying silent and motionless instead. She was waiting for him to approach the door for it to open, not rushing him.

Gods. _He was so ridiculous._

The former ghost took a deep breath and, ignoring how much his legs felt like cotton, took a few steps towards the door. As soon as it opened, the mechanical sound echoing all around, it was like a weight settled on his stomach, twisting his guts as soon as his eyes spotted the two little girls. They had changed and were now wearing coloured pyjamas, still wearing their signature headgear, weirdly enough. They were sitting in front of the television, watching, no, doing something with it? He wasn’t sure what, he was not very informed regarding new technologies, considering he lived in the same forest for centuries. They were holding weird things in their hands, black devices with coloured buttons on it. Whatever they were doing, they were also bumping each other with their shoulders, loud high-pitched giggles resonating in the room. However, when they heard the door, they both turned around in his direction.

-“Oh, you’re back,” started the hatted brat, her voice almost passive aggressive. Yep, she _was_ mad, just like he had thought. She seemed to make an effort as her younger friend “discretly” nudged her in the back, instructing her to be nice: “You feeling better?” she asked with a more neutral tone.

Did he feel better? He supposed he did, though it was hard to say. His mind was like a cacophony of thoughts, all very, very different from one another. Some part of him did feel better, it was true, while his pride was screaming at how sappy and mushy the whole situation was. It was most likely this part of himself that snapped earlier, or had at least contributed to his meltdown. It really was strange and uncomfortable to say the least.

-“Yeah,” he replied, still with a grumpy expression on his face: “guess so.”

He had been tempted to go with his usual approach, putting a show with the loud persona he had fabricated through the centuries. After all, it had almost completely fused with his, well, original personality, having been kept in a cold cellar for days changing him greatly, just like the after-life did. He was not the nice and compassionate Prince anymore. He was The Snatcher, a powerful soul-stealing ghost that had no remorse over killing people for his own survival and, by now, even for fun. And yet… And yet, sometimes, putting on the mask that had become such a second nature to him became… Difficult. _Unnatural._

Right now was one of those times.

For a brief instant, he thought he saw a remorseful look on the hat-wearing child’s expression, though it quickly died down as he glanced away. She looked like she wanted to forgive him, but it was a bit too early for her to completely do so. At least, that’s what Snatcher thought it meant, it wasn’t like he was some kind of social behaviour specialist. If anything, law was his forte, but this? He was just guessing at this point.

His thoughts were cut short as the bow-wearing kid joined the conversation, lifting a plate of grilled cheese sandwich that had been on the ground until now. She was smiling at him, yet it was easy to see she was somewhat trying to hide her unease behind a warm expression:

-“We saved some for you,” she informed him with a gentle voice before cringing a bit as she glanced down at the food: “… Well, it’s cold now, but we can always reheat it later when you want!”

Snatcher frowned, feeling something akin to guilt rise in his chest. It felt wrong, so, so wrong, and he couldn’t help but grit his teeth. He normally didn’t care about being the bad guy, about being unfair or mean, or, well, murderous. Yet, there was something in this very specific situation that gave him an awful feeling of shame, one he really wished he could ignore.

What was happening to him?

-“Yeah, fine,” he simply replied, embarrassment unfortunately clearly audible in his voice as he walked closer, not comfortable enough to say the magic word just yet. It just got stuck in his throat. Thankfully, the kids didn’t mention it. Just as he was about to ask what they were doing with the television and what they were holding in their hands, Cooking Cat’s voiced echoed just behind them:

-“Well,” she started, straightening her chef’s hat with her usual smile: “it’s getting late, I think it’s time for me to go home. I had a lot of fun today, thank you for inviting me!” she said to the kids before turning to him: “I hope you’ll teach me how to tell scary stories soon! But, on a more serious note, I really hope your wish to be a ghost again will come true. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to experience being alive after so much time as a spirit.”

Snatcher glanced away:

-“It’s… Not so great, yeah,” he confirmed with a frown.

Her smile disappeared for a bit, quickly replaced by a serious and compassionate expression:

-“Don’t push yourself too hard,” she advised with a caring tone: “Do what you can and if that doesn’t work out, it’s okay. You’ve been human for a day or two, barely, and I can only guess how much it is to take in. Try being nicer to yourself, it’s fine to fail sometimes.”

The former ghost scoffed at how corny this all was. Oh sure, what a great idea to rest and relax while his crazy ex could wreck havoc in his forest, freezing everything and everyone again! Of course, he’d have the right to, since he could “be nicer to himself” and that it was “fine to fail sometimes”! And if he came back to see the whole forest being covered in ice again, well, “ _whoopsie daisy!_ ”, right?!

_What a joke_.

Cooking Cat could obviously tell that Snatcher wasn’t taking her words well, but knew better than to insist. She looked away, a bit embarrassed, though she tried to smile again. She turned to the children, who had watched the scene, silently:

-“Can you teleport me down there?” she gestured to the floor, or what was under it. The planet.

-“Yeah, of course,” replied the hatted girl, moving to the control panel, before waving at her: “See you soon, Cookie!”

The younger kid soon imitated her:

-“See you, take care!”

The cat looked happier from the kids’ kind words and waved back at them. Her eyes then glanced to the former spirit, smiling back at him:

-“Goodbye, Snatcher. I hope I’ll see you soon as well, in your true form this time,”

Snatcher only nodded in response, feeling all the stares being fixed on him once more. He liked attention, sure… But not like this. This one was oppressive, stressful and… In this meat sack of a body, he didn’t feel completely safe. However, Cooking Cat seemed satisfied with his answer, and nodded to the hat-wearing little girl, telling her she was ready for teleportation. Honestly, the man couldn’t help but be impressed at her calm face: his own experience through scientific teleportation was… Not a good one. He had always been fine teleporting magically, but this? This could be labelled as a vomit-inducing machine and he wouldn’t even be surprised.

The cat disappeared in a blink, a blue light quickly engulfing her for a second before it was gone, leaving no trace from her, as if she had never come onto the ship.

Silence fell in the room as the trio was left alone once more. The atmosphere was tense, almost palpable, no one knowing what to say after everything that had happened in only one single day. After all, it was a lot, it made sense that tensions started to appear after a while. Well, perhaps they mostly appeared because of him, but it didn’t matter.

Eventually, after a while, the bow-wearing kid gestured to the television with an awkward smile:

-“Wanna keep on playing Corgi Quest?” she offered, winking at the hatted brat, once more very “discreetly”. But it seemed to work as the other sighed yet shrugged nonetheless, visibly exhausted from the events of the day:

-“Yeah, fine, sounds good to me.”

Snatcher watched them walk to the television and sit on the nearby coloured pillows. Confusion was plastered on his face as he wondered what they could be talking about. ‘Corgi Quest’? What _was_ that? Was it what they were doing before he and Cooking Cat entered the room? Was this a “TV thing” he wasn’t aware about? That could very well be the case, seeing as he only knew what a television was from what he learnt with his ex-contractors.

So, not a lot, considering they didn’t live long enough to explain what it was in further details. Not like he had thought he would need it someday, though…

-“What’s ‘Corgi Quest’?” he questioned, voicing his confusion, glancing at the kids then the television repeatedly, trying to understand.

-“Our favourite video game,” answered the hatted child, picking up one of the device from earlier -what was it?-, pushing some of the buttons and… _Controlling_ what was happening on the screen? What? His brow furrowed even more: _how_ did that work?

-“It sounds pretty simple, but Corgi Quest actually has a deep storyline!” added the younger child, her eyes full of stars: “It’s also very cute, and there’s even a multiplayer mode! Much better than in the last game, Corgi Quest 6. Oh yeah, we’re playing the 7th one, but you don’t need to have played the oth-”

-“Woah, woah, kiddo, _stop_ ,” interrupted Snatcher by lifting his hands in the air, already feeling a headache coming up just from hearing about all this stuff he couldn’t understand. What were they even talking about? He took a deep breath and pinched his nose, stopping soon afterwards. Wait, he never did that before, was it because he had a nose now?

-“First, I don’t care about all of that,” he established, though it was a lie: he was curious, at least on the way this was working: “Second, what the _heck_ is a video game?”

This was a simple question, really, one he thought was basic and pretty common… And yet, as soon as the words left his mouth, the two children gasped as if he had insulted their parents in the worst possible ways. Wait, did he ever do that? He didn’t remember. Still, they were staring at him with wide eyes, clearly not believing a single word he had just said. Was it that obvious? If it was, why didn’t he hear about that from his victi- oh wait, right, he usually killed them before they got the chance to talk. _Not that he wanted to_ , life outside of his forest didn’t interest him usually. And it wasn’t like talking with his “brain-dead servants” were entertaining, _hearing them scream in pain was though_.

His thoughts were cut short as the little girls exclaimed at the same time:

-“You don’t know what a video game is?!”

Snatcher shook his head, warier and warier as seconds passed. This was getting extremely suspicious and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know anymore, given the reactions he got just from not knowing whatever that thing was. In any case, apparently, said thing was pretty famous or at least common now.

The two kids shared a knowing and decided look, as if they telepathically agreed on something.

All of a sudden, Snatcher felt like he should have kept his mouth shut. But he didn’t have the time to think more, as the bow-wearing little girl moved behind him and pushed him more towards the television, while the older kid placed more pillows on the floor for him to sit on.

-“Wait, wait, what-” The former ghost tried to protest, but was interrupted as the brats forced him to sit down, his opinion clearly ignored from now on. Soon, one of the strange-looking device was placed in his hands, and he turned his head to the kids, even more perplexed than before.

-“Okay, so you definitely failed in life just not knowing what a video game was,” informed the hat-wearing child, an exaggerated look of disappointment in her eyes: “Allow us to educate you on that topic.”

-“Trust us,” added the younger one, placing her hand on her chest as if what she was saying was extremely important -when it wasn’t-: “We’re _specialists_.”

Snatcher’s confusion was now reaching new heights. He had no idea what they were talking about, and he was so bewildered by what was happening that, despite his wish to protest, his voice got stuck in his throat. His brain was trying so very hard to understand what was happening, but soon, the brats sat next to him… And started to explain things and concepts he had no idea existed before.

How did this even happen…? Whatever the answer was… Snatcher knew he was stuck with them until he learnt what those ‘ _video game_ ’ things were.

_This was it_. Snatcher was cursed, and he had the feeling this was not going to end soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, everything goes well ! Isn't that wonderful ? Truly, it would be such a SHAME if SOMEONE were to ruin that................. Not that it's going to happen or anything !!  
> ... Unless...?
> 
> :)c
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for your comments, they mean so much to me !


	14. “What did I do?!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another restful night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING : GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF VIOLENCE, ABUSE AND GORE. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
> 
> Hey ! How are you all doing ? Good I hope !  
> Sorry for the wait, I had to wait for something you'll see later in this chapter, but it was definitely worth it ! I hope you'll love it as much as I do !
> 
> Thank you for your patience, I hope you're still interested in this fanfic. Your comments bring me so much joy, I am always so, so happy to post something and see your reviews after that. Thank you so much for following me and following this story, this means so much to me.
> 
> Anyway, let's move on to the credit part, because yes... This chapter has two special things !  
> 1) An art commission by my friend saltyh0td0g (https://twitter.com/saltyh0td0g), go check their amazing art !!  
> 2) A voice acting commission, by  
> \- Puyo-Proto (https://twitter.com/Puyo_Proto)  
> \- JordanTheCat11 (https://jordanthecat11.tumblr.com/ OR https://twitter.com/JordantheCat11). 
> 
> As always, you'll be able to listen to it at the very end of the chapter. They did an amazing job dubbing my dialogue, so please support them if you can !!
> 
> Of course, the "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading ! And, just like stated at the beginning of this note, please be careful. This chapter is disturbing. And since it's Halloween in France now... Happy Halloween you all :)c
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you again for all your amazing support, it means so much to me !

Sleep had become Lukas’s only refuge. When one was sleeping, they couldn’t feel pain, they weren’t afraid anymore, it was just peaceful and blissful dreams, very different from the reality… _And the Prince was no exception_.

His eyes opened instantly, pulled out of his enchanted sleep, a searing pain in his left arm waking him up. The young man glanced all around, his breath fast and heavy as he was forced to remember what had happened, reality hitting him like a slap in the face. Oh. Right. _He was still there_.

How long had he been sleeping…?

The pain made him wince, the ice on his cheeks cracking from the movement. A silent cry left his lips and he closed his mouth, gritting his teeth as he waited for the pain to die down a bit. Once it did, the Prince tried his best not to move too much and lifted his head, trying to find the cause of this vivid and unbearable pain. His left and now only eye widened as found what was causing him so much pain. A stalagmite was stabbing his left arm, visibly growing more and more as Vanessa’s magic seemed to summon more and more ice in the cellar. Lukas’s already pale face became as white as a ghost’s, a horrified expression plastered on his features and his mouth opened from the shock. Oh no, no no _no no no_ -

The Prince’s heartbeat became faster and faster as panic settled upon him, adrenaline fuelling his body - _or what was left of it at this point_ -. All around him, the ice was invading the room, much quicker than how it usually did. It hurt, it hurt, _it just hurt so much_ -! Something was probably happening up there, was Vanessa mad or- but the pain was too much for him to think clearly. He wanted to move his arm away… But couldn’t. The chains were keeping him in place, leaving no possibility for him to escape this… And with broken shoulders, he couldn’t do much either. This realization made him even more terrified than what he already was. It was going to go through his arm, he needed to do something, quick, now, the pain was unbearable, oh Gods, _why_ -!

Woken up from the shock that had paralyzed him, Lukas gritted his teeth and attempted to summon his fire magic, despite how weak he was being at the moment. This might be the only thing that could save his arm, he needed to do this, he needed to take the risk! And so, after taking a deep breath, the Prince focused on his left arm, trying to condense all of the warmth his magic could offer on this single limb. And while it _did_ manage to stop the progression of the sharp stalagmite… It also made it melt, cold water flowing on his now open wound. His arm was also warm enough to experience how vivid pain could be, not softened by the cold temperature anymore. It stung, it stung so, _so much_ -! At least, when it was cold, the pain was bearable, but now… Despite how mute Lukas thought he had become from the dehydration, a deafening scream left his mouth, echoing in the cellar, if not in the entire manor. His muscles, all atrophied from how weak he was, tensed up. If the young man still had tears to cry, they would be running on his grey cheeks by now. He was scared, he was hurt, he just wanted things to be over, he just wanted to be free…! Why did he have to suffer so much?

All of a sudden, the room became a bit warmer and the ice stopped spreading. What…? Why, what was- And then, it clicked.

 _Vanessa had heard him_. It wasn’t a coincidence, it couldn’t be a coincidence, the timing was just _too right_ for that! However, now, the thought of having the Queen coming down here didn’t bring him any hope anymore… No, it just _terrified_ him, especially with how mad she had been the last and only time she had come to see him. After what she had done to his right eye… He had no idea what she could do next. She was just too instable for him to predict at his point, and… She just wasn’t the Vanessa he knew anymore. Or perhaps… Perhaps she had always been this way.

 _Maybe he had just been too blind to notice all the red flags_.

Just as he was panicking over the possibility of his wife coming down the stairs, a burning sensation erupted in his left arm- wait. _Burning_? In this _freezing_ cellar…?

The Prince turned his head to try to find the cause of that strange and worrying feeling… Only to discover that his hand had turned black, _pitch black and clawed_ , just like Vanessa’s, just like once she had been… _Corrupted with her magic_.

-“No…” whimpered Lukas, shaking his head weakly as his emotions were slowly getting out of control. No, this couldn’t be happening, this just _couldn’t_ be happening, no, no, _no_! He hadn’t meant to use his magic so much, he had just wanted to stay alive, to survive! _Not this_!

Magic had always required people to be careful when using it. Each person, through training and predispositions, could practice and use magic until their body couldn’t take it anymore. Lukas had always been very attentive to that and had learnt to know his limits with time. Once crossed… Magic could have very destructive consequences over one’s body and soul, corrupting them, _changing them_ into things that weren’t human anymore. By using her powers too much, this is what had happened to Vanessa… _And this is what was happening to him now_.

Horror had engulfed him whole, making his entire body shake despite how painful it was. This couldn’t be happening, why, why, _why_!

His thoughts were instantly cut short as he heard something coming closer and closer, sounds that made his empty stomach turn. _Someone was going down the stairs_. That simple thought made him realize how what he had gone through could as well be nothing compared to what she might do to him. And, without really knowing why… He tried to hide his corruption by closing his hand, not caring if his newly formed claws were scratching his palm in consequence. It didn’t hide much… _But it was still better than nothing_.

He had no idea how Vanessa would react to that. However, he didn’t have the time to wonder more about this as he heard the door being unlocked… And then it was pushed open, a terribly familiar voice echoing all around as she called out to him:

-“My Prince?” she sang with a twisted, very twisted fondness, “I heard your voice, hehehe!” she added, gleefully. Soon, her dark and distorted form entered the room, making Lukas shiver even more, his lips sealed close tightly as his eyes fell on her, unable to look at anything else. He was scared, so, so scared. This was it, then? He was going to die now, wasn’t he? Maybe…

 _Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, after all…_?

However, his fear soon mixed up with confusion as he noticed the Queen was holding something in her hands, some kind of… Tray? A tray with a glass of water and some sort of dark little balls next to it, things he didn’t recognized… But then, a horrid smell greeted his nostrils, a sudden urge to throw up settling over him instantly. Thankfully, his stomach was empty, preventing him from throwing up anything besides bile… And yet, it wouldn’t be empty for long, as what his dear wife had brought very much looked like burnt food, whatever that used to be before turning out like this.

Somehow, no matter how disgusting the smell was… The Prince’s stomach couldn’t help but gurgle just at the thought of eating something, even if it ended up being the most abominable dish in the world. He was literally starving and, in this situation, wouldn’t complain if it meant he could eat something, _anything_. And, furthermore… She was bringing him water, a whole glass of it! His mouth was so dry, and his body so weak, so dehydrated… Even from melting the stalactites, he couldn’t get so much of water!

But, on the other hand, despite how relieved he was to know he’d finally get some water… Some part of him was disappointed. It just meant that he’d have to bear all of this suffering a bit longer, when he could die and finally be free of pain.

-“Oh, are you hungry, my love?” she asked with a smile, a terrifying smile on her inhuman face. She then lifted the tray in her hands as she added: “don’t worry, I made some cookies, _just for you_!”

 _Oh_. Oh, so those _things_ were supposed to be _cookies_. He knew Vanessa had never been good at cooking… But this, this wasn’t food anymore. It was completely black, looking like just the littlest touch would make them fall apart. Still… Lukas was starving and very much needed food, his survival instincts screaming at him to eat, no matter what Vanessa was going to give him.

-“I know they’re a little burnt… But you’re going to eat them, right? I put _all my heart_ into them…”

The Prince could only nod swiftly and desperately, his stomach only gurgling louder. This seemed to satisfy the Queen, who smiled more. She looked nothing like she used to and while seeing her smile brought him joy before all of this… _Now, the effect was very much different_.

-“Oh, I’m so glad,” she sighed, looking at him fondly as she approached slowly. Lukas couldn’t help but shiver more, doing his best not to draw any attention to his hand. Seeing how unstable Vanessa was at the moment, he couldn’t predict how she would react to the sight of his own corruption. At least, his hand wasn’t cold anymore… _But it wasn’t human either_.

The Prince couldn’t help but shut his eyes as she eventually stopped in front of him. However, the young man was quickly forced to reopen them as he felt the temperature of the room get colder very suddenly. As soon as he did, he saw Vanessa extending one of her clawed hands to the floor… And summoning an ice block, large and high enough for her to put the tray on it. Lukas gulped despite the lack of saliva in his mouth: if she could summon an entire block of ice in a few seconds from nothing… He didn’t want to imagine the things she could possibly do to him if she ever got mad again.

Vanessa seemed to notice his fear and came closer, bringing her hands to his chest, rubbing it with her freezing palms.

-“Don’t be scared,” she murmured with that sweet voice of hers, much too cheerful to be sincere: “It’s me, it’s just me, it’s okay,” she cooed to him, just like she would to a child in need of comfort. But Lukas was not a child. He was the one she used to love… _And now he was locked in the basement, chained to a wall_.

This was not the type of comfort he needed. All he wanted was to be free… Whether it was literally or _figuratively_ which, in that last case, meant free of this now painful and horrifying life. All he could do at her touch was to whimper silently, shutting his eyes once more, simply unable to look at her monstrous appearance. This was not the woman he knew, this was not the one he _loved_ -

She hummed a song for a bit, still rubbing his chest, maybe at an attempt to reassure him… But it wasn’t like it was working, on the contrary. It just made him even more scared. He only wanted this to end! _Was this asking for too much_ …?

After a few minutes that felt like hours to the young Prince, Vanessa stepped away, finally picking up one of the “cookies” she had made for him. She seemed so proud of them, so happy of her “act of kindness”… And that just made the whole situation even more terrifying. Lukas couldn’t tell if she knew if what she did was bad or if she was simply unaware of it… And, in any case, it wasn’t like it changed a lot of things, was it? He was going to stay stuck here no matter what… Given how she acted towards him, it was obvious that she wouldn’t let him go nor escape that easily.

Once she brought the “cookie” to his lips, the atrocious smell hit him in the face once more and he had to bite his inner cheek not to gag. It smelled awful, so awful… _And yet, his body needed food_.

-“Come on, dear,” she insisted, pushing the biscuit on his dried out and shaking lips: “I made them _just for you_ …”

Lukas eventually opened his mouth, already bracing himself for what was to come… And oh, was it a good decision. The taste was absolutely _terrible_ , as if the ingredients had been mixed up randomly, in quantities that weren’t following the instructions. It felt mealy and crumbled on his tongue in the worst possible way. It was dry and, for someone who was extremely thirsty… _It was torture_. Without being able to hold himself back, he coughed, feeling the dust of the biscuit going the wrong way into his lungs… And he spat everything at her, on what used to be her beautiful green dress.

 _Oh_. Oh no. No, no, no, _no_ -

A moment passed where they remained completely motionless, as if they were both trying to process what had just happened. The Prince stared at her, _terrorised_. This couldn’t be happening, he just didn’t do that, he couldn’t believe it. He was going to die now, wasn’t he? Why wasn’t he more careful, why didn’t he-

A violent slap on his face silenced his thoughts, hundreds of small ice crystals on Vanessa’s glove scratching his face, cutting his fragile and grey skin. A yelp of pain left his mouth at the shock, leaving him trembling even more, his eyes shut hard as he waited for death to come. Because this was the only outcome at this point, right?

Maybe he would finally be free…

-“I can’t _believe_ it,” reprimanded the Queen with a harsh tone: “I did my best to cook something for you and _this_ is how you’re _thanking_ me?”

The Prince shook his head slowly and weakly, mouthing a series of “I’m sorry” relentlessly as his voice was stuck in his throat, unable to come out from how scared he was. But this wasn’t enough for his wife, no, _how could it ever be_?

-“Don’t you lie to me!!” she yelled out of the blue, a dozen of ice pillars coming out of the ground abruptly as her scream echoed in the room. Fury was plastered on her inhuman features, her hair standing up more and more and her claws becoming sharper as seconds passed: “You’re _never_ sorry, you never were and _never will be_! You’re a liar, _a liar_!” Her voice was getting louder high-pitched, and more hysterical.

-“T-that’s… That’s not true…” he protested in a whisper, barely audible. Oh, but Vanessa definitely heard it very well and, considering how much the temperature dropped… She didn’t share his opinion.

-“You’re lying!!” Her scream was much louder than the previous ones, making Lukas’s ears hurt from how strident it was. He winced, closing his eyes once more, afraid of getting slapped again, or worse… And yet, silence just followed, a very, very tensed silence that made him both confused and worried. He reopened his eyes, wondering what Vanessa could be waiting for… However, the sight that greeted him made him freeze in absolute terror.

His wife was looking at his left hand, deadly silent and her expression unreadable. Oh no, no, no, _no_!

-“I-I’m sorry, I di- I didn’t mean to, I pr-promise,” he tried, his voice quiet and shaking as he tried to reason with her, no matter how foolish it was to do so: “P-please, y-you know me, Vanessa! I would n-never try to hurt y-you!”

Slowly, very slowly, her red eyes glanced from his hand to look at him.

-“How long were you planning on keeping this secret from me?” she asked, her voice calm and yet extremely threatening nonetheless. This wasn’t good, this wasn’t good at all!

-“I-It just happened before y-you came here!” Lukas tried to justify himself, though he knew very well that his wife wouldn’t hear any of it. She was past caring for him, she just treated him like less than an object, treasuring him like a thing and not like a human being.

Another slap answered him, drawing out more blood and more tearless sobs out of him. This was a nightmare, why was this happening to him, why…!

-“ _Liar_!” screamed Vanessa as she approached her face from his, her fangs clearly visible for him to see. This was a terrifying sight for the Prince, who whimpered and glanced away, resisting the urge to close his eyes.

-“I’m not!” he retorted, his voice a bit louder than before, though his throat stung from the effort: “I’m not! I n-never lied to you!” Soon, his voice was desperate, as if all of his frustration and melancholy were transcribed as words for her to hear: “I d- I don’t know what I did that made you mad! I don’t know why you’re d-doubting my love for you! What did I do, Vanessa?!”

The Queen remained silent, as if she couldn’t believe his ourtbust. But Lukas had had enough, he couldn’t take this anymore, _he just couldn’t_.

-“What did I do?!” he repeated, louder, his throat burning and stinging so much. And yet… Yet he could only ignore the pain as he kept going, his voice sounding hopeless and devastated: “I j-just wanted us to be happy! I loved you! I wanted to have a family with you!” he paused, his tone now low and heartbroken as he lifted his head to look at her: “I thought… I thought you felt the same…! B-but then, why?”

Couldn’t he be free already…?

-“Why would you do this to me…?” he eventually asked, inconsolable. However, the Queen’s answer was not the one he had been expecting.

-“You ‘ _loved_ ’ me?” she repeated, her intonation low and dangerous. The Prince was about to say that, obviously, he had loved her, otherwise he wouldn’t have stayed wit her this long… But then, he understood what she had meant by that.

The young man had used the past tense. He had said “loved”… _Implying that he didn’t anymore_.

Lukas’s face paled at the realization. He had made the worst possible slip of the tongue ever, the biggest mistake he could ever make in his position-

-“N-no, w-wait,” he attempted to rectify his claims, very much aware of how dangerous this situation was for him: “I didn’t mean-” _But it was too late_.

-“How _could_ you?!” shouted the Queen, ice spreading all over the floor, covering the previous layers entirely. She was livid, she was furious, she was-

 _She was going to kill him_.

-“You never loved me! You just _used_ me!” her loud screams were resonating in the entire cellar, a few stalagmites falling down from how loud they were. Vanessa lifted her hands again, but this time not to slap him. On the contrary, her hands stayed away from his face… Grabbing his left arm strongly instead. Panic engulfed the Prince again as he started to understand what were her true intentions. A series of “no, no, no, please, no” left his lips like a mantra, but it was too late.

 _The harm had already been done_.

Before he was able to protest any further, a sudden and vivid pain erupted in his arm as he felt it freezing from the inside, his blood turning solid as she pressed her palms over it. A deafening scream left his mouth, most likely audible even outside the manor from the agony, from how _excruciating_ it was. Slowly, too slowly, he could feel his blood getting frozen, one vein after the other, his skin turning blue as the torturous process spread from his arm to his shoulder.

Oh God, he was going to die. He was going to die, this was it, _finally_ -! And yet… Yet he didn’t _want_ to die! He still had so much to do! He wanted to become a lawyer, he wanted a family, he wanted to die as an old and happy man…!

 _Not like this_!

-“Va-Vanessa, no! Argh, p- _please_!” he pleaded, his breathing much heavier and quicker than ever, his heart beating fast, trying to pump more blood for his arm and shoulder, _but in vain_ : “Please, please, please,” he breathed out, looking at her, _begging_ her: “D-don’t do this, please Vanessa, don’t do this!”

But Vanessa wasn’t there anymore. What was in front of him was _nothing_ like the woman he used to know, used to love. Instead, a feral monster was standing in front of him, freezing him to death, her emotions out of control. Tears were coming out of her eyes, all turning into ice as they fell from her cheeks, hitting the icy floor with a clinging sound.

The last sound the Prince ever heard… Before his heart was affected by Vanessa’s magic, frozen in a blink as her powers kept spreading in Lukas’s body. His eyes widened, air stuck in his lungs as he was suffocating, his whole body unable to move a single muscle. An unbearable pain erupted where his heart was, making him gasp for air… _But he couldn’t breathe_. He couldn’t, he was dying, he was slowly dying, this was agonizing, he couldn’t take it, this was torture, it was so much painful, he couldn’t-

His body suddenly became limp, his head falling forward as he let out his final shaky breath.

 _The Prince of Subcon Village had died_.

______________________________________________________

Snatcher woke up with a gasp, his forehead damp from sweat and his eyes fixed on the ceiling. What- what _was_ that? The man remained motionless for a few minutes, trying to find his breath again, his heart beating fast in his chest, pounding inside. It took him a moment to realize where he was: in the kids’ bedroom, lying down in the pillow pool. It was dark, the room was only lit by the few lights on the walls, those representing stars. Glancing around in the room, he could see the little girls sleeping in the canopy-bed, peacefully and quietly. Hesitantly, Snatcher brought his left hand to his face to inspect it, though it was perfectly human, unsurprisingly.

 _Another nightmare, huh_?

The former ghost let his arm fall down on the pillows again, with a sigh. His eyes stung. With a quick gesture, the man brought up his hands to his face, rubbing it… Only to discover that his face was full of tears. Oh, of course. _Obviously_. Snatcher scoffed: ‘ _dreams were his only refuge, the only times he could be protected from pain and fears_ ’… Yeah, right. He sighed again. Gods, this was _by far_ the worst nightmare he had been force to relive… Clearly, the one he had wanted to forget the most, but apparently fate had other projects for him.

His eyes glanced back to the kids. He remembered doing this “video game” thing with them before going to bed. Without much surprise, they were much more experienced than him in that field, crushing his already broken pride, but hey, it wasn’t like another bad experience would change a lot, right? Hah! In the end, the kids won, they bragged, and this was it, the end of the day. Or night. He had no idea how to get his bearings on time in this spaceship. It wasn’t like there was sun or a moon to help him find the time! In any case, once they were done playing this “video” thing or whatever it was, they took him to their bedroom, showing him a makeshift bed in the pillow pool. Better than nothing, he had guessed at the time. And, quite surprisingly, he had been quite comfy for him to fall asleep quickly!

Well, if he had known what kind of dream he’d have, maybe he’d have preferred to stay awake.

Snatcher turned in his “bed” several times, eventually burrowing his face in one of the colourful pillows. This wasn’t over, was it? He would get a lot of nightmares like this one, he was sure of it. But oh, _this one_ … This one had been one of the worst. His grip on the pillow tightened as he gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes. He didn’t want to sleep anymore, he never wanted to do that ever again.

And so… _Snatcher started to cry_.

[Erekio](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet) · [The Death Of The Prince (voice acting by JordantheCat11 and Puyo-Proto)](https://soundcloud.com/valerianne-feuillet/the-death-of-the-prince-voice-acting-by-jordanthecat11-and-puyo-proto)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter ! 
> 
> Don't forget to check the amazing audio by Puyo-Proto and JordanTheCat11, they did such an amazing job !! Same with my friend saltyh0td0g, show them how much of a great artist they are !
> 
> Thank you again for all your support, it means so much to me, I will never say it enough. Now, updates will happen more regularly than this past month, hopefully.  
> See you on the next chapter, or on my Tumblr if you ever check it out :)


	15. “Do you have any… Theory, for now?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher experiences the joys of waking up after a night of crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posting ! Thank you for all your support, I'm glad you like the fanfic so far ! (I know I haven't replied to all the comments, but I'll do it soon, life has been quite... Rough for me during the past few days, but it's going to get better. Also I'm playing Starbound way too much dkjhsqkjdfsdf)
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

The first thing that Snatcher noticed when waking up… Was how much his eyes hurt and how much his throat was dry. Confusion engulfed him as his still half-asleep mind was trying to understand why his eyes stung so much. He tried to open them, only to find that his eyelids seemed stuck together, and he only managed to get his eyes open by rubbing them. Why did it-

Oh. Yeah. He remembered now. He had cried a lot that night.

Snatcher took a deep breath, trying to ignore the flashes of memories invading his mind. No, he did not want to remember that dream, or anything related to that time down there. Or in his life in general, actually. The Prince of Subcon was dead, and he had nothing to do with that moron anymore. Nothing.

Well. Except for a body, now. The former ghost sighed, already exasperated. Oh, what an amazing way to start a wonderful day! He scoffed, though it wasn’t really sincere, and eventually looked around. He was still in the kids’ bedroom, however, he was alone. He had probably overslept, something that seemed hard to believe considering his psychological state, but it apparently happened. Huh, who would have thought? Certainly not him.

With a bit of trouble, Snatcher straightened, feeling his skin itching a bit. Oh, yeah, and he had slept with the same clothes as the day before, having no pyjamas in the bag lent by Cooking Cat. So that explained why it was itching so much, the wool jacket sure was comfortable but not on the long term. With a groan, the man took it off, with some struggle admittedly, but it was mostly due to the fact that he still needed to get used to having a body to control.

Funny how it was so difficult when he had actually possessed people in the past. Yet, he supposed it was due to the fact that he wasn’t controlling their body directly but mostly forced their mind to move said body the way he wanted them to. Magic stuff he didn’t want to think too hard about so early in the morning. Well, not that he could know what time it was, considering there wasn’t any clock in the room. With a sigh, Snatcher climbed down the pillow pool and stretched. Okay, that felt good, he couldn’t deny this fact. It was perhaps one of the pros of having a human body again: humans had bones, ghosts did not. Although, he knew how having his bones broken felt like and it wasn’t-

He shook his head. Here he was, thinking of that time again. Damned brain, always reminding him stuff he didn’t want to remember. Snatcher took another deep breath: it wasn’t the time to think of that, now. Slowly, he rubbed his eyes, feeling a bit better just by the contact. Normally he didn’t like the sensation of touch, but… It felt nice, like he was scrubbing his eyes or something. Weird and gross, but, heh, he might as well get used to it… Seeing as the little girls seemed to think it would take a while for him to go back to being a spirit.

_He really hoped it wouldn’t last too long_.

He forced his brain to focus on the situation at hand. Right, the kids. With that thought in mind, Snatcher left the room and walked to the hub, wondering where they could be. As soon as he entered the huge room, something caught his attention in the corner of his right eye. A bit surprised, the former shade turned in this direction, wondering what it was, only to find the older kid, hatless. This was truly a weird sight, as he only saw her without it when he had tried to kill her and her friend. Hah. Good times.

She was sitting in the pillows in front of the television, eating something colourful in a bowl -cereals perhaps?- still in her pyjamas. The brat glanced at him, her eyes widening as soon as she saw his face.

-“Woah,” she said, raising her brows: “Have you seen your reflection? Because you look like you’ve been hit by a train.”

Oh, joy, a remark about the consequences of his sobs. Great, fantastic. Snatcher rolled his eyes with a groan:

-“Good morning to you too,” he replied, though it was much more hostile than what he had first intended. Well, after such a greeting from her, he wasn’t in the mood to be nice. She winced a bit, and glanced away for a second, a brief flash of guilt visible on her face. When she looked back, her expression softened:

-“Sorry,” she murmured, before asking, putting her bowl on the ground as she stared at him: “Are you okay?”

The question took Snatcher aback, making him freeze. ‘ _Was he okay_ ’? What kind of question was that? Of course he wasn’t! The former ghost scoffed, ready to make fun of the kid for how stupid she was to even ask something so obvious. However… The way she was so seriously looking at him made him close his lips before he even got the chance to mock her. He didn’t know why he was careful with someone else’s feelings all of a sudden, and yet, here he was. Snatcher stared into space, conflicted, before letting out a tired and frustrated sigh.

Whatever. At this point, his pride was already more than shattered; it wasn’t like something more would make such a big difference. And so, Snatcher sat next to her, on pillows that had been pushed on the side the day before. He brought his knees to his chest as kept his eyes on the floor. Eventually, after what felt like centuries to him, he managed to talk again:

-“No,” he muttered, his tone low: “No, I’m not.”

The kid stared at him for a few moments, as if the gears in her mind were turning in the background. After a while, her eyes widened a bit as a look of realization crossed her features.

-“Rough night?” she wondered with a compassionate voice.

Snatcher couldn’t help but scoff bitterly again. ‘ _Rough night_ ’ would be an understatement compared to the hellish dream, or rather flashback, that he had. Soon, the sour smile on his lips died down and he shut his eyes, feeling his dream, no, his memories coming back to him. Why wasn’t he able to forget those after hundreds of years? Why couldn’t he move on and forget about the cruel woman that could freeze his entire forest the moment he turns his back- oh wait, that was why.

-“Yeah,” he finally replied with an exhausted sigh.

Silence fell in the room for a few, long seconds, until the hatless brat spoke again:

-“Wanna talk about it?” she offered and, for a moment, he was surprised at how nice and patient she was being. After all this time passed pushing him around, trying to make him do things… Now she was trying to be kind and calm? What was happening here?

-“Who are you and what did you do with the brat?” Snatcher retorted with a half sincere snort.

He had expected her to be mad at his question, but all she did was giggle at his joke. Apparently, someone clearly had a good night’s sleep, much more than him. At least, she wasn’t yelling or anything of the sort.

-“No, but for real,” she replied, her face becoming serious again after a few seconds: “I mean it, you know? Bow and I will always be there if you need something.”

Snatcher took a deep breath. Yeah, he did know that, but the former ghost wasn’t one to talk about his past or, worse, his “feelings”. What was there even to say about them? “ _Yeah, I dreamt about my ex killing me, it wasn’t very nice, I am weirdly upset by this_ ”? Of course not. He knew the kids were aware of some parts of his past, not everything, but still. No one needed to be a genius to deduct what had happened after a visit in the Queen’s manor, and Moonjumper’s existence was only a proof of what was left of him.

Quite literally, in fact.

He sighed. He didn’t want to talk about any of that. Being forced to be alive again was already a lot to take in already.

-“Speaking about the other brat, where is she?”

The hatless little girl seemed a bit disappointed by the fact that he was still not opening up, but didn’t insist, to his great relief. This really was not a topic he wanted to be forced to talk about. At his question, the kid pointed to the engine room:

-“She’s taking a shower.”

-“Oh, so it’s morning then?” asked the former ghost, really lost with the sense of time on this spaceship. After all, it was hard to tell what time it was without any sun in the sky to give you any indication. But, here again, the child pointed somewhere else, this time on the huge safe behind them. Oh yeah, there was a clock on it. Snatcher wanted to slap himself for his own stupidity, but heh, at this point… In any case, the clock indicated that it was almost nine in the morning, and he couldn’t help but be surprised. He had imagined the kids would be the type to get up really late, but apparently he had been the one to take that role today. Well, not like it helped him to get a good night’s sleep anyway.

-“Oh. Right,” he muttered, more to himself.

Silence fell for a little while, until the hatless child started to eat her cereals again. Suddenly, the sight of the food, despite how disgusted he was of it in any kind, brought back that awful feeling in his stomach. Gods, it was like someone was having fun twisting his guts… Okay, it was fun when you were the one doing it on someone else, but feeling it was not enjoyable. It is at that moment that a loud gurgling sound echoed in the room, making Snatcher clench at his stomach, both ashamed and still a bit confused. The feeling of being hungry was not one he liked, definitely not. And his mouth was dry too, just like-

No. No, he wasn’t going to think of that again.

The brat - _thankfully_ \- interrupted his train of thoughts as she asked him something else:

-“So uh,” she paused, glancing at his face then to his stomach repeatedly before finishing her sentence: “Wanna eat something?”

Snatcher couldn’t help but groan, already knowing he wouldn’t have any choice in the matter anyway. He had learnt pretty well that fighting against his body and its urges wasn’t really a good idea, no matter how much he wanted to. So, with great reluctance, he opened his mouth again:

-“Unfortunately, _yes_ ,” he answered, visibly frustrated to no end. His reply seemed to amuse the little girl for a few moments but she quickly did her best to hide her expression behind a straight face. Yeah, good choice, given Snatcher’s sour mood. He didn’t mention it, but he was a bit relieved not to be mocked or looked at for how difficult daily human tasks were for him, even the most basic ones, ones that were oh so important to survive.

And so, they both stood up, the former ghost now more stable on his two legs. Yes, he was getting used to those things! Climbing the ladder was a bit harder though, but he eventually managed to get on top of the mezzanine. Just as they were about to enter the kitchen, the door from the engine room opened. Snatcher and the hatless brat looked over the guardrail, seeing the younger kid, all dressed up. She was wearing a yellow tunic with cat paws pattern on it, with dark, plain leggings. Her hair were styled just like usually, and she was wearing a variation of her usual blue bow, this time red. Snatcher couldn’t help but wonder how many of them she had.

-“Hey again!” greeted the hatless brat from above, catching the attention of the other child, making her jump a bit from the surprise. The latter raised her head and her eyes meet theirs. Instantly, a smile made its way on her lips as she saw both of them.

Ugh. Too many smiles for today already, and the day had already barely started.

-“Hey, Hat!” she greeted the older one back, before waving to Snatcher: “Hello! Did you-”

However, as soon as her eyes fell on him long enough to inspect his face, apparently more than indicative about his lack of sleep, she closed her mouth, keeping it shut before asking any stupid question. Although, the worry in her eyes made Snatcher more irritated than he already was. He was already past his comfort zone, so might as well continue, heh.

-“ _No_ , I did _not_ sleep well,” he answered as he rubbed his face, feeling how tired he was just by the feeling of his skin, of how cold his hands were because of the lack of sleep, how he could feel some sort of bags under his eyes… Oh, yes, the day was already starting so well!!

Ha. _What a joke_.

Snatcher half sighed, half yawned in his hands and stared back at the kid down in the hub:

-“And _no_ , I don’t want to talk about it,” he added, just to make sure, in case it wasn’t clear enough from his expression. The worry in the other’s eyes didn’t disappear, but at least she tried to hide it behind a smile, and she nodded.

-“That’s fine,” she simply said, before a short silence fell into the room, as if no one knew what to say anymore. It was only thanks to the hatless kid that the tension was reduced a bit.

-“So uh, now that you’re done showering…” she started, nodding to the man as she kept talking: “You okay helping him to find something to eat? I’d like to shower too, now.”

Snatcher didn’t like to be mentioned as if he weren’t in the same room, but he was too exhausted to care enough. All he wanted was to be done with eating and drinking as soon as possible, hoping he’d be able to rest later.

Not to sleep, however. Oh, _no_ , not after a dream like that. But he was tired and he could feel his eyelids being heavier than normal, or whatever was supposed to be normal. He only had been in this body for two days, it wasn’t like he was the most experienced one to deem what was normal or now.

The bow-wearing girl nodded with much motivation, seemingly very determined to help:

-“Oh, yeah, sure!” She then walked to the ladder and climbed, joining the duo. When she was close enough of her older friends, the two of them high fived and giggled soon after. Somehow, Snatcher couldn’t help but think of them as two fighters relieving one another from their duties. He felt insulted for a moment, but then again, he was too tired to care and just rolled his eyes at the gesture. The hatless brat went down in the hub, walking to her bedroom, probably to get some clothes to the bathroom with her.

The former shade was brought back to reality as he heard the kitchen door opening. When he glanced back at the bow-wearing kid, she was holding the door for him, waiting for him to come in. Without waiting much longer, the man complied, thanking her with a quiet nod. Saying “thank yous” and “you’re welcomes” weren’t something he was used to, after all this time snatching souls and killing people, but he was not a complete jerk. Or, well, he was, but.

Then again.

Snatcher didn’t care and just wanted things to be over with so he could rest his eyes.

-“So, what do you want to eat?” asked the little girl, as she rummaged in the cupoards, “We have cereals, waffles, pancakes, cookies-”

An instant feeling of dread and nausea settled over Snatcher, who couldn’t help but gag at the simple mention of those damned biscuits. No, never, ever, nope, _jamais_. His reaction caught the kid’s attention, who turned in his direction, while he was covering his mouth, eyes shut and heart beating faster in his chest. Gods, how could he feel so ill just by hearing the names of those things? Well, that wasn’t really hard to know, considering how traumatized this all made him. Of course, _cooki_ -, no, those things were just a part of this trauma, a single drop of water among an entire ocean of terrible experiences. Now, being hungry just made it worse, as saliva pilled up in his mouth, more and more and more-

-“The sink, the sink!” exclaimed the little girl, suddenly pushing him over the counter so he could bend over said sink. As soon as he was in front of it, his body collapse over it, his mouth opening as he felt his stomach contracting, trying to push whatever was inside out of him. Which, _quite frankly_ , was practically nothing, as he didn’t eat much the day before. All that came out of his mouth was a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid, leaving an awful acidic taste on his tongue. He didn’t have more time to think about it as a fit of coughing interrupted him, preventing him from breathing. No matter how much he was trying, another cough stopped him right before he inhaled anything. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t-!

He then felt a hand patting his back, rubbing it too in a reassuring way:

-“It’s okay, Snatcher, it’s okay,” said a soft voice behind him, forcing his mind to focus on something else: “Calm down, it’s going to be fine, breathe”, it added, repeating all those words over and over again with that same soft and gentle tone. The rubs were still continuing and, for once, Snatcher was glad his senses were still easily overwhelmed. Soon, the panic died down and he managed to stop his coughing, taking a deep, deep breath. Gods, he had needed that.

It took him a while to finally recover, his breath still heavy for a while. Gods, this felt terrible. The man then eventually noticed that he was handed a napkin to wipe the bile off his face. Silently, he took it with a shaking hand, doing his best to clean himself.

-“You okay now?” questioned the little girl, her intonation full of concern. Well, in that case, he couldn’t really blame her. He was pretty concerned himself.

-“Y-yeah,” he breathed out as he nodded, his eyes still fixed in the sink, sweat forming on his forehead: “… Thanks,” he then muttered, though it was loud enough for the kid to hear him. A little smile formed on her lips as she realized that he had voiced his gratitude, and she rubbed his back more.

-“You’re welcome,” she replied warmly. She then bent over the sink and opened the tap, keeping her eyes fixed on anything else as she did so. Once done, another silence settled in the room, making Snatcher a bit more uncomfortable than he already was. Fortunately, the bow-wearing child started to talk again:

-“Do you… Still want something to eat?” she asked with clear hesitation in her voice. The question made the former spirit think. He didn’t want to, but… At the same time, he knew that he would feel worse and worse if he kept refusing food to his body. Even if it wasn’t much, he could eat a small part of something, just to give his body enough fuel to survive the day.

-“I’ll…” he paused as he tried to stand straight again, still keeping his hands over the counter just in case: “I’ll try the cereals,” he replied, before adding, his voice hoarse: “With a glass of water, please.”

Gods, he _really_ was polite, today.

The kid quickly agreed and started to pour him a bowl, being careful not to give him too much. She then gave him a glass of fresh water, which he immediately drank. Surprisingly, he didn’t choke himself with it. Perhaps he was getting better at this swalling thing. Then again, swallowing liquids was much easier than doing so with solid food.

The duo soon left the kitchen, Snatcher with food in his hands, as they walked to the TV, sitting there once more.

-“You’re not eating?” he asked the little girl as they settled down.

-“I already did,” she said, approaching the television to… Change the channel. Gods, technology was so confusing. He had heard a bit about what a TV was from some of his previous contractor, but being in front of the real thing was much more unsettling than he had first thought. Now, the screen was showing what seemed to be a movie, one featuring birds. A lot of them. Owls, more precisely, in what seemed to be some kind of desert.

_What the heck_.

After some time eyeing the cereals in the bowl, he finally found the courage to take a first bite and… It was okay. Sure, the texture felt weird, but they were small enough to be chewed easily, and the taste wasn’t too strong like the sandwiches had been the day before. Saying that Snatcher was surprised would be an understatement, but hey, at least he had found something he could eat without too much trouble!

-“Is it good?” wondered the bow-wearing child, interrupting his train of thoughts again.

-“Yeah, it’s… It’s fine,” he replied, doing his best to focus on chewing and swallowing. One second of inattention would surely make him cough again, with food going down the wrong way. This was not something he wanted to experience.

In any case, eating wasn’t “nice” per se, but for now, it was _doable_. Some part of him couldn’t help but think it was mostly a problem linked to a lack of habit. Perhaps it would improve with time. At least, this time, he had known what to expect, so he now he wasn’t too unnerved at the feeling of something inside his mouth. No need to say that this was some kind of progress, and he felt relieved at the thought. Sure, he didn’t want to stay a human too long, but if he managed to grasp how to operate his weird body, then it wouldn’t be as unbearable as it was when he turned. Just really unsettling, for very obvious reasons.

And that thought brought him to another question, which he couldn’t help but voice to the other:

-“So… You’re both going to try to find a solution again, today, right?” He really hoped they did. The faster he could become a ghost again, the better.

The little girl nodded, a more serious look now on her face:

-“Yeah, we will,” she answered, but then added with cautious intonation: “But we’re still at the very beginning of our research. It’s going to take us a few days to understand how to reverse the process, and more days to figure out how to make it work.”

Snatcher hummed at her reply: yeah, that’s what he had understood from their conversation the day before. He wasn’t particularly surprised hearing that again. Yet, he couldn’t get rid of the fear of having Vanessa freezing the entire forest and all of its undead inhabitants once more… He really hoped she wouldn’t notice anything before a while.

He had to protect his kingdom. _His home_.

-“Do you have any… _Theory_ , for now?” he still asked, wanting to know more about the little girls’ plans and hypothesises. At her question, the bow-wearing child winced, but still answered as much as she could, explaining what they had found so far:

-“We don’t know much… _Yet_. We do have a theory or, well, a _possible way_ of reversing the process,” she developed, her eyes glancing at him as she kept going: “See, the Time Pieces work thanks to the sand inside of them. On their own, they’re just basic receptacles, you know? That’s why we were inspecting the sand, yesterday, so we could know if it was possible to, like… Reverse the effect.”

-“What do you mean, ‘reverse the effect’?” he interrupted her, confused. This was much too abstract for him, yet he was doing his best to understand.

-“Hum, well… Look, when you break a Time Piece, it goes back in time, right?” she asked him, waiting for him to nod before continuing: “But actually, there are two options, not just one. It doesn’t just ‘go back in time’. It either does it randomly, going back a few seconds to a few years earlier - _in your case, centuries_ -, either it follows what the person wishes the most while breaking the Time Piece.”

The man’s eyes widened at her words. Oh, so that explained quite well why a war broke out on the children’s planet. In any case, this was a lot to take in, though he remained silent to allow the other to continue her explanations:

-“So, what we’re trying to do is to determine how the sand works. Once we do… We’ll be able to change its properties, thanks to all the stuff we have in the machine room. Of course, this is only a very, very short summary of our theory, because there are a lot more factors playing a part in it. But,” she paused, raising a finger: “But, if we _do_ manage to do that… We might be able to turn you back to your ghost self, thus, ‘ _reversing the effect_ ’. You’ll have to wish to go back to who you were when breaking the Time Piece, and it _should_ work.”

The former ghost hummed, though it was still a bit hard for him to understand. He did catch the basic information though, and well, at least the girls had a lead. He really hoped this would work… And wouldn’t take too long to execute. They did have a time limit, after all…

Just as he was about to ask for more details, a loud ringing sound echoed in the spaceship, all the lights turning red all of a sudden. The man’s heart jumped in his chest as a startled scream left his lips from the surprise. What was that?! It sounded like an alarm, blasting over and over and over again in the ship. The former ghost turned to the bow-wearing kid, but instead of seeing fear or confusion on her face, all he could see was some annoyance.

-“Gosh, I should really turn that off for good,” she groaned as she stood up. Somehow, the fact that she didn’t seem worried at all reassured Snatcher quite a bit. It sounded like it was a repetitive occurrence, from her expression. Still, the ringing hurt Snatcher’s ears much more than what he’d like, and, fortunately, it stopped after a few more moments. Soon, the ship was filled with silence again, to Snatcher’s great relief. Good. He wasn’t sure he could have handled more of that awful and loud sound.

-“What was that?” he wondered, his voice faltering from the shock. Gods, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

-“The intruder alarm,” she simply answered, matter-of-factly: “It means someone came onto the ship.”

At those words, the man felt a twist in his guts. Someone? Who…? In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but fear for a particular person, though his rational side was trying its best to reassure him. It wasn’t Her, it couldn’t be Her!

He needed to stop having those irrational fears. There were many things more urgent he could be scared about. But not something this stupid or just impossible. How would She even come here? Sure she had magic, but not teleportation spells or anything. Besides, he was pretty sure that She couldn’t even see the spaceship from the mansion. After all, the whole domain was almost completely hidden by a large ice dome…

Gods, _why did he need reassurance so much_?

The kid seemed to notice his panic and started to rub his back again, the feeling of touch being strangely comforting for some reason:

-“Don’t worry, it’s going to be okay,” she told him with a calming and soothing voice. Although it only made Snatcher feel more and more miserable. He wasn’t some child in need of comfor- oh. He was shaking again.

This body was like an open book, and Snatcher hated that.

-“I’m… I’m fine,” he muttered, gritting his teeth: “So, where is the intru-” However, the former-ghost was cut short as the door from the bedroom opened swiftly, revealing a very familiar face.

_Moonjumper’s_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here was another chapter... And another cliffhanger :)c I had to, hehehe  
> In any case, I hope you're still interested in this fanfiction, and I hope you'll like the next chapters too !
> 
> See you in the next chapters !


	16. “So, what are you doing here?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher learns something that is definitely not a good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posting ! I have a bit of a writer block, and I tried toi delay my chapters as much as possible until I couldn't anymore (the 17th chapter isn't finished so it'll force me to write it eventually), sorry about that ! I hope you're still interested in this story despite my lack of recent activity.
> 
> I read all of your comments, even if I haven't replied to them yet (but trust me, I love all of them, thank you, thank you so much, they really mean a lot to me).
> 
> I hope you'll like this chapter !
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Out of all the people who could have come out of this hallway, Moonjumper was perhaps the less surprising one to Snatcher. Obviously, the fear of seeing _Her_ had engulfed him since the moment the alarm went off, but now, he felt a huge wave of relief hitting him. The man knew very well this was absolutely stupid for him to think _She_ would be able to come onto the ship uninvited… But still.

His posture relaxed once he realized he wasn’t in danger. This was maybe the first time he was truly happy to see Moonjumper, but compared to Vanessa, this wasn’t really difficult. However… Why was he here? Did something happen with _Her_ …?

The living corpse’s face lit up as his eyes fell on Snatcher and the bow-wearing kid next to him. He had his hands clasped together, his face shifting from worry to relief as he saw them:

-“Oh hello! There you are!” he greeted the two, floating a bit closer, while the bow-wearing child approached him too, her smile wide. Her annoyed expression had been quickly replaced by a happy one, an excited one even, as if she hadn’t seen the guy for weeks when, in fact, it had only been two days.

-“Moonjumper!” she greeted him back, stopping just in front of him, her posture clear of how glad she was to see him. The feeling seemed to be mutual as he gave her a warm smile, just as happy to see her. The other’s eyes soon drifted higher to meet Snatcher’s, and the corpse’s warm expression fell a bit. Well, this wasn’t quite surprising, considering how sour their relationship was. In all honesty, who wouldn’t be put off by seeing their dead, rotten body floating right before them, stolen by an unknown spirit? Not a lot of people.

-“Good morning,” said Snatcher simply, the gears in his mind turning more and more. Was this a simple visit of courtesy or… Was there more to it? The former ghost couldn’t help but think of the worst-case scenario. But could this be possible…? It had only been a few days!

Yet, Vanessa was unpredictable and much cleverer than what she let people think. She wasn’t just a Queen that had gone crazy with jealousy and control… No, no… She was far more intelligent and cruel that one would think. And Snatcher knew that from experience. Furthermore, the man couldn’t help but think of Moonjumper’s worried face as the latter had entered the room… He had a bad feeling, he hated that, but that feeling was definitely there, eating him little by little.

_Something had happened_.

His thoughts were soon cut short as Moonjumper started to talk again, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence that had followed Snatcher’s greeting:

“I- uh, seem to have triggered some sort of alarm…?” wondered the ghost with confusion and nervousness: “Is… Is this normal?”

The former spirit couldn’t blame the other, that loud thing had surprised him too quite a lot. Just the same, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was something that happened on a regular basis or not. Given how annoyed the little girl had been instead of surprised or startled like he had been, he supposed the former was most likely.

-“Yeah, I was wondering about that too,” added Snatcher with a perplexed frown, tilting his head slightly.

The little girl winced as she glanced away, probably remembering quite a lot of situations revolving about said alarm. When she did start to explain, her features showed some hints of irritation.

-“Well… It’s something that Hat and I built in the spaceship in case of… _Incidents_.”

-“‘Incidents’?” repeated Snatcher, even more confused and, perhaps, a bit nervous now. What did she mean by that…? Apparently, Moonjumper’s face showed the same signs of worry he was expressing, if not more. Both of their stances were now tensed, waiting anxiously for the child to continue her explanation. At their insistence, she seemed a little uncomfortable, as if she didn’t know how to explain something to them in a way that wouldn’t worry them even more.

_Well, this was not a success_.

-“Hum… I mean, Space is a dangerous place, you know?” she tried to clarify: “And there are many, _many_ life forms out there, not all being super nice so… It’s better to be prepared, right? _Just in case_. So Hat and I decided to install that alarm, but…” She paused, looking elsewhere as she kept going, more annoyed: “So far, it has only been a bother, and we never had any problems. But… You never know, right?”

Okay, so if Snatcher was nervous before, now he was just scared. What kind of _horrific creatures_ would cause the need for such a system? Space was not his forte, never had been actually, but now the idea of stargazing through the window just made him _terribly_ ill at ease. Who knew what he’d happen to see in this endless black void…?

_Yeah no, he didn’t want to think about that_.

As the bow-wearing kid looked back at them, she seemed to notice their change of behaviour and expression and raised her hands quickly:

-“B-but it’s fine!” she soon added with a forced smile: “It doesn’t happen really ofte-”

-“It has happened _before_?!” interrupted Moonjumper, with a panicked and horrified look in his eyes. Well, then again, Snatcher couldn’t blame him. The simple thought of an unknown creature possibly infiltrating the ship… It made him shiver. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about with Vanessa!

-“No! I mean, _yes_ , but-!” the child was starting to grow a little frustrated and she eventually covered her face with both of her hands, rubbing it as she was maybe thinking of a way to calm the two. Eventually, she sighed and tried to smile again, though it didn’t reassure Snatcher very much: “Your solar system is safe,” she informed them calmly: “You don’t need to be afraid, for real. I mean, otherwise your planet would have probably been invaded by some giant eldritch horrors by now, or-”

The little girl closed her lips shut and tight as she realized she was only making things worse. _Giant eldritch horrors_? Normally, that wouldn’t scare Snatcher, but being in his fragile and weak human body made him reconsider a lot of things, and this was one of them. With so many risks of dying and not even being sure to come back as a ghost afterwards, he just couldn’t allow himself to be reckless... Especially with the time limit looming over them, this sword of Damocles looming over their head. He had to be there if Vanessa happened to do something, whether it was as a powerful spirit… Or as a weak and pathetic human being.

_He needed to be there_.

Right in front of them, the bow-wearing kid was fidgeting uncomfortably, a wince clearly visible on her face as a heavy and awkward silence settled in the room. Well, now it was much too late to try to reassure any of them, especially Moonjumper, whose face said enough about the whole ordeal. Quite soon, the little girl found herself unable to do anything else than to flee the conversation:

-“Uuuh, you know what, I’ll, uh…” she stuttered, gesturing to the engine room: “I’ll tell Hat you’re here, so, hm… Have fun you two!” And, without waiting for them to protest or even reply, the bow-wearing child dashed to the door and disappeared into the hallway, leaving two very confused and nervous spirits on their own.

-“What. _The heck_ ,” let out Snatcher, frowning even more, his eyes fixed on the now closed door.

-“I, uh… I’m starting to fear for these children’s safety,” murmured Moonjumper, just as shocked as him.

-“You don’t say,” answered the former ghost flatly. That wasn’t really surprising, considering all the kind of trouble the kids were used to put themselves into. Plus, Subcon was kind of a death trap in itself, and yet the little girls kept visiting no matter how many time they had almost got killed. However, if there was anything to be worried about, this wasn’t the kids’ safety ( _Ha!_ ) but his.

Eventually, the former spirit turned back to Moonjumper, his mind realizing the golden opportunity he had for being alone with the living corpse. Without the kids being around them, Snatcher could ask about the state of Subcon Forest without having Moonjumper worrying about upsetting the children.

-“So, what are you doing here?” he asked, straight to the point. There was no use in delaying the inevitable and if there was something he had to know about… _Well, it was better now than later_. With Vanessa able to freeze his entire kingdom again, it was better to be careful.

Just like he had expected, Moonjumper was taken aback by his straightforward attitude, making him fidget just like the bow-wearing kid earlier. This sight was more than enough to tell Snatcher that, _yes_ , there was indeed something bothering Moonjumper, and most likely something linked to their biggest problem at the moment: Vanessa. And yet, the corpse glanced away, biting his lips as if he was trying to find a way to tell him what was happening without upsetting him too much.

_But the silence on its own was more than enough to make him upset_.

-“Okay,” Snatcher pinched his nose, feeling a weight settling in his stomach. Gods, what was he going to learn… His legs were starting to shake a bit and the man felt like his muscles _freezing_ from the tension and apprehension. If he had to know something, it was now or never: “What’s happening? I know you’re not here just to say ‘hi’, especially since it’s only been a couple of days. _So what’s wrong_?”

Snatcher didn’t have the strength to play the questioner type too long. Dealing with this body was already quite a lot on his mind, so if he had to get more worries over his unfortunately weak shoulders…

-“It’s…” Moonjumper started, looking much more worried than when he had first appeared in the room. Had he been trying to hide it as long as there was a kid in the room? “It’s your fires. They’re starting to die down already.”

Snatcher frowned again, more and more confused.

-“My… Fires? What do you-” but then, he closed his mouth. _His fires_. The ones he had lit up to protect Subcon Forest from his ex’s magic, the ones that were the only thing heating up the area enough to keep it warm and safe from Vanessa. The only barrier against this unnatural and terrifying cold that had killed so many people… _Including him_.

_Those fires_ were dying down.

The former ghost’s face paled up as soon as this thought materialized in his mind, hitting him violently as he was forced to understand what it meant. What it all meant for him, for his forest… _And for his minions_. If those fires ever went out, then there wouldn’t be anything to protect Subcon from the terrible cold and ice coming from the manor, but this wasn’t the worst, no, oh no.

Vanessa would feel that there were no resistance against her magic anymore. This couldn’t happen, _this just couldn’t happen, ever_.

-“Snatcher...! Snatcher!” Moonjumper tried to call him back to reality, but Snatcher was too lost in his own horrifying thoughts. How could this already be happening? Those fires shouldn’t die down so soon! Sure, he had predicted this would happen, considering they originated from his powers and, thus, depended on them to remain active and warm. Now that the man was in a human body with none of his magical abilities left, he didn’t have any power source to maintain them. It didn’t take him long to put two and two together: this would be what would make Vanessa understand that the Forest wasn’t as well protected as before. However, he had expected this to happen much, much later. Not _now_. They hadn’t found anything to reverse the situation yet…!

_Oh Gods_. He was hyperventilating again. His body was now trembling like a leaf and he only realized he was hugging himself. A loud, very loud ringing noise was echoing in his brain, making him unable to distinguish any other sound. What? Why…?

_Why was he so scared_ …?

He was forced out of his thoughts as he felt two hands on his shoulders, shaking him back and forth to bring him back to the present. He heard his name being called, though it was muffled by that deafening ringing noise. What would he do if Vanessa came before they found any solution? How was he going to protect his kingdom in this weak, stupid and pathetic meat sack of a body? The Queen wouldn’t give them any chance to fight back, especially if she was free to use his powers at their full potential in the Forest…

What was she going to do if she saw him like that again…? That thought alone made his stomach turn strongly, giving him the urge to throw up. No, no, no, _no_ , he couldn’t go through that again, he couldn’t, she wouldn’t let him die this time, she would do her best to keep him alive, locked up for him to never, _never escape again_ -

The pressure on his shoulders disappeared eventually… Only to reappear somewhere else, on his cheeks, forcing him to look up. There, he could see Moonjumper’s panicked face.

-“ _Snatcher_!” the latter yelled, forcing him out of his trance. It was only then that the former spirit managed to glance around him, pulling himself together little by little. He was still in the ship. _He was still safe_.

His eyes went back on Moonjumper’s, the other letting go of his face now that he was able to think coherently again. As soon as he was free again, Snatcher stepped away: his breath was quick and heavy, his heart was pounding inside of his chest, his eyes were stinging… He reached out to rub his eyes, but as soon as his fingers touched them… He could feel them wet.

Did he really… Did he really start to cry…? In front of Moonjumper out of all people?! This could only be a joke. As fast as he could, he tried to dry them up, not wanting anyone to see him in that state, and especially not the spirit who had stolen his past life. No, absolutely not, _not happening in a million years_!

-“I’m… I’m sorry,” apologized Moonjumper, his expression no more afraid but guilty instead. His eyes were fixed on him, staring at him with what Snatcher identified as _pity_ , as _compassion_. Gods, he would _always_ hate being looked at this way. This made him feel even more pitiful than he already was in a state like this. But the other started to talk again, catching his attention again: “I should have been more tactful…”

But this apology wasn’t changing anything. It wasn’t changing the current situation, it wouldn’t keep Vanessa away. Those were just words. And words would never, never save them from a crazy Ice Queen starved for a twisted and inhuman love.

-“How much…” Snatcher could feel a lump in his throat, almost preventing him from talking. He still managed to get the words out, though his voice sounded much too broken for his liking: “How much have they died down?” he decided to ask. Maybe he had been panicking over nothing, perhaps the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed! After all, he had always been quite powerful, it would make sense that his powers would persist even after him becoming human again!

… _Right_?

His eyes were staring at Moonjumper, awaiting the other’s answer with an unbearable impatience. He was hoping to see some kind of reassurance, something to make him feel better, anything other than the worst-case scenario he had started to picture since the very beginning of this problem. But the corpse wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t wearing the face of someone intending to comfort him, no…

_Moonjumper seemed as terrified as he was himself_.

-“Almost… Almost halfway,” answered the corpse with a paler face than the one he already had, his hands trembling as he fidgeted in the air.

As soon as the words came to Snatcher ears, he felt like he had just received a bucket of freezing water over his shoulders. Halfway…? No, no, this couldn’t be, this was too soon, _way too soon_! The man had thought it would take at least a week for that to happen! How could this be?!

-“No,” he breathed out, stepping away once more. He couldn’t believe it, didn’t _want_ to believe it! Those fires were their only hope of keeping Vanessa away and oblivious of the situation! And those same fires were _dying down_?! “No, no, no, that’s not true,” he kept going, his voice becoming more and more distressed as he was glancing everywhere randomly: “You’re wrong, it’s not possible, they’re not-”

-“They _are_ ,” insisted Moonjumper with a troubled voice, not giving him the time to finish: “I thought just like you at first, I… I didn’t want to believe it either… But they’re already getting weaker. I… I checked, multiple times.”

This wasn’t good, this really wasn’t good… Snatcher felt like the world around him was collapsing around him. Their barrier against that crazy monster was weakening, it was weakening and they wouldn’t be able to fight her like this. But the worst question was yet to come, the most terrible and the most terrifying one that Snatcher wanted to avoid thinking about at all cost. But he didn’t have the choice anymore.

-“Do you…” The words got stuck in his throat, his breath becoming heavier and heavier as he struggled to talk again, fighting against the dread that was settling over him: “Do you think she noticed anything yet?”

If Vanessa had noticed anything… Then that would only announce a terrible danger. It wouldn’t take her long to understand that the Forest was soon unprotected… And that she would have the perfect opportunity to strike.

-“I don’t… I don’t know,” answered Moonjumper trustfully as he glanced elsewhere, visibly just as scared as he was: “I haven’t felt anything different coming from the manor yet, so I would guess not, but-”

However, the corpse was cut short in his reply by a high pitched voice that was very, very familiar to the two spirits.

-“What are you two talking about?”

The duo turned in the direction of the voice… Only to find the two little girls, standing up in front of the door leading to the engine room, a confused and worried expression painted on their faces. Both were glancing at them repeatedly, looking for an answer to their question, any answer. _But the fear on their faces were already more than a good indicator of what was happening_. Soon, their own faces crumpled as they started to understand.

No matter what they had to do to reverse this whole situation… Then they’d have to speed up the process, as much as possible.

Snatcher would _not_ let Vanessa freeze the entire forest again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehehe another cliffhanger, woohooo-  
> Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter ! See you in the next one !


	17. “… But what if I can’t…?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is looking for a solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter ! I hope you'll like it ! (same for the drawing, which took me quite a while ahaha)  
> Thank you for all your comment and your support, it really means a lot, thank you so much !!
> 
> I hope you'll like this chapter !
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Silence had settled in the room, only interrupted by the little beeping sounds of the vacuum cleaner trying to comfort the little girls. Both were looking at the ground, their face showing clear worry as they were still processing what they had just been told.

The Subcon fires were dying down… And this was going to lead to the worst case scenario if they didn’t find a solution soon enough.

Snatcher was leaning against the glass wall of the hub, silent. A clear frown was visible on his features, and it wasn’t hard to see the fear and nervousness in his eyes. But considering what he had been through with Vanessa… He knew it was justified. There weren’t many things that scared him, really, but the Ice Queen was one of the few. His arms were crossed, his eyes fixed on the kids as he was waiting for their reaction. An awful pain was starting to eat him from the inside, a clear sign of his anxious state. There were things that never changed and, unfortunately, his deep-rooted anxiety had survived his death and now his coming-back-from-the-dead experience. _Great_.

Next to him, Moonjumper was no better. The young man supposed that stealing his old memories probably played a huge part in the corpse’s nervous attitude which, he couldn’t help but think that it served him right. But this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. The other was floating without saying a word, fidgeting with his hands, rubbing them together, as if he were trying to forget his fear by focusing on the sensation and the action itself.

No need to say that the information brought by Moonjumper cast _quite a chill_ in the room. _Ha_.

-“So…” started the bow-wearing kid, her voice shy and hesitant, looking up at the two spirits slowly: “How much time do we have left?”

This was the question that had been on Snatcher’s lips all along, though he hadn’t found the courage to ask it himself. If he had to be completely honest… He was scared of the answer. What if they only had a few days to figure out a solution? What if they only had a few hours?! The former shade was afraid of what he was going to hear. Yet… Yet he turned his head, staring at Moonjumper as he waited for the answer with shaking hands. He was trying his best to contain his emotions, to keep a straight face… But he was clever enough to know that it was certainly not working at all.

-“Perhaps… Perhaps two to three days if we’re lucky,” replied the corpse, darkly and gravely, a knowing look on his face. ‘If we’re lucky’, he had said.

Too bad that Luck had never held Snatcher close to its heart. In any case, Moonjumper’s answer made him shiver. They only had a few days… And it was only if they were lucky _and_ if Vanessa didn’t find out about the current situation first.

This was utterly hopeless. Soon, Snatcher felt his breath getting heavier and quicker, the fear rapidly settling over him. It was like an unbearable weight had been put on his shoulders, one that forced so many terrible memories back to his mind. No, no, no, he didn’t want to think about them, this was not the time.

The corpse’s statement had a similar effect on the little girls, making them glance away. The bow-wearing kid unconsciously hugged herself while the older child was gritting her teeth, rubbing her fingers together, probably in the same attempts as Moonjumper, to focus on something else. Although, by the look on her face, this was not working. Snatcher couldn’t really blame them. After sending them to the Queen’s manor, he could only imagine that playing hide and seek with a very enraged Vanessa was not a good experience to remember.

Actually, he didn’t really have to imagine it. He had experienced that himself.

“ _No, stop,_ ” he forced himself to focus on the situation at hand, clenching his fists. The feeling of his nails scratching his palms was enough to distract him, thankfully. He knew he’d regret it later, because of the pain he’d feel in the next few hours… At least, if he lived long enough until then. It would all depend on Vanessa’s next actions from now on.

 _Clearly, this was not reassuring in the least_.

-“How is the research progressing?” asked Moonjumper, though it was clear that there was some subtext there: “ _how is the research going because we need results **now** or we’re all **dead**_ ”. Something along those lines, from Snatcher’s guess.

The question cast another chill in the room, quite unsurprisingly, and it was enough for the corpse to figure out the answer. Silence replied to him and soon, his face crumpled as he had to realize what it meant.

Frankly, it was the same for the former ghost.

-“So… So it’s not ready yet?” wondered Moonjumper aloud, his voice trembling more and more.

-“It’s…” The hatted brat was the one to reply, but it was clear from her stance and from her intonation that, no, it wasn’t ready yet: “No, it’s not. Actually, we only had the time to gather the basic information, but… Not the time to really fiddle with the Time Piece itself.”

The younger child quickly added her own explanation:

-“Time Pieces are too dangerous to tinker with to do anything stupid… That’s why we wanted to run some tests first, but that was also because we thought we had more time…”

Moonjumper’s expression worsened even more as he heard the little girls’ confession. It was a clear sign of how bad the situation was. They didn’t have any solution, wouldn’t have one ready before a few days… And the fires would be out by then.

This was a disaster. Subcon was going to get frozen again, all the subconites and dwellers would suffer from Vanessa’s wrath once more, and the worst part was that he wouldn’t be able to save them this time.

 _It was over_.

A broken laugh escaped him as the weight of how hopeless this situation was settled over his fragile shoulders. This was it, then. All his efforts to save Subcon, to allow the dead children to actually get to “live” in some kind of after-life, to try and keep his abuser away-

And it had all been for nothing. What a fool he had been to ever think he could stay away from the one that had made his life and afterlife a living hell.

-“Snatcher…?” murmured the corpse, tilting his head to the side and stopping his fidgeting as he watched the former prince very carefully. His inhuman and pale face showed how worried he was but, unfortunately for him, the man was now long gone.

Soon, the latter’s laugh became louder, and louder, and louder until it sounded like his usual hysterical laugh. And yet, it still sounded different: broken, not distorted like it used to be back when he was a spirit, and also very much human.

And this was the fucking problem, now, wasn’t it.

The trio’s faces fell even more as they could do nothing but watch Snatcher laughing and laughing, covering his face with both of his hands, his pose getting more and more unstable as his head fell backwards.

 _They were all fucking dead_. No matter what they’d try, no matter what means they’d find, there was _no way_ he would be able to light up those fires again. After a few more seconds, his laugh eventually died down, leaving the trio very disconcerted by the sight before them. Slowly, the former ghost removed his hands, which were trembling a lot more than what he’d be fine showing, his eyes staring at them.

-“There’s no way we can get out of this, is there?” he asked weakly, though it really wasn’t a question, seeing the recent turns of event.

Silence was his only answer and, to be fair, this was more than enough for him to know that he was right. They couldn’t do anything, this whole thing was hopeless, they would never-

-“Actually…” the corpse interrupted his thoughts, with a graver tone than before, something that definitely didn’t reassure Snatcher in the least. The man lifted his head, glancing back at the floating corpse with an alarmed expression. What…? Did he miss something…?

-“What?” he urged his counterpart to continue, unable to stand the wait. Just like him, the kids were looking at Moonjumper insistently, visibly just as desperate to know what they could do : “You said it yourself!” he snapped at the other: “My fires are dying down, there’s _nothing_ we-”

-“ _There is something_ ,” the corpse spoke over Snatcher, louder and more determined to be heard: “You just didn’t even think of it,” his face was serious, as if he wanted the former shade to understand that this was perhaps their last resort.

And, well, it kind of was.

-“Will you explain yourself?!” groaned the hat-wearing child, holding her head in frustration: “Stop making the moment last!”

The little girl’s reproach forced Moonjumper to snap back to reality and the fact that they, in fact, didn’t have the time for that sort of suspense. He threw embarrassed glances around before starting to fidget again, rubbing his wrists nervously.

-“R-right,” he nodded, then glancing back at the young man and taking a deep breath he didn’t need: “You know, we- you were not a simple human back when you were alive- I mean, before being alive now,” he seemed to have some trouble finding the right words and that didn’t help to reassure Snatcher, already more than worried for what was to come.

-“Go straight to the point,” urged the young man again, way too frustrated and afraid to be fine with listening to a long explanation, even more when it was a confusing one. If Moonjumper had a plan, whatever it was, they had to put it in place _now_. They couldn’t allow themselves to lose any more time, especially with Vanessa as a major threat to Subcon Forest.

She was too unpredictable.

Moonjumper winced, but eventually sighed, his eyes staring at Snatcher gravely:

-“If you’re alive just like you were in the past…” He paused, and eventually spat it out: “Then you might still be able to summon your magic.”

The corpse’s suggestion was definitely not one the former shade had expected, and certainly not one he had even thought of. The latter immediately frowned, both in confusion and hesitation. His powers? No, he couldn’t, he knew that, because…

-“I can’t use my powers into this form, I tried,” Snatcher explained, though he knew Moonjumper wasn’t hinting at the powers he was as a ghost… _But the ones he had as a human_. However, he hadn’t used them in hundreds of years, couldn’t, even! Doing magic as a human and doing magic as a ghost thanks to the souls he ate… Those were two very, very different things.

-“You _know_ what I’m talking about,” retorted his counterpart with a low tone. Just like Snatcher had feared, Moonjumper had been able to read him like an open book. It most likely had to do with the fact that the corpse had inherited his memories. To that, well, there was also probably the fact that they had - _unfortunately_ \- known each other for quite some time already.

Obviously, that made Moonjumper some kind of psychic. _Now that was just great_.

The man frowned again, not liking any of this. The children were now looking at him, silent and waiting for his reply, their expressions turning to ones of hope.

… _Too bad this wasn’t going to last_.

-“I can’t use those,” he told his floating interlocutor, his voice a bit too shaky for his liking: “And, even if I _still_ was able to use them somehow, I have no idea how to do so anymore!”

Magic took a lot of practice and theory. However, after hundreds of years spent without actually practicing anything… Well, he had lost most of his progress. Plus… Plus he had some issues linked to those powers.

 _He had used them just before being murdered by Vanessa_.

The living corpse’s expression became darker and he lifted his arms, exasperated:

-“Well, _try_ , then!” his intonation had become much more aggressive, which was a bit surprising when it came to Moonjumper, who was much more patient than Snatcher: “We literally have two to three days to find something, and this is the only thing I can think of. The Time Piece isn’t ready, your fires are still dying down as we talk, and _nothing_ can fuel them back to what they were except _you_.”

The former ghost froze as he heard his counterpart’s words. He knew it was true, he knew it was all true… And yet, there was something preventing him from actually considering this plan as a working one. Would he even be able to use his human magic, after so much time passed practicing a completely different form of magic…? And, even if he did, what if it didn’t work? What if Vanessa still came back to freeze everyone again?

What if… Nothing was enough? What if _he_ wasn’t enough?

His eyes fell to the ground and he stopped breathing for a few seconds. These powers hadn’t saved him back in the cellar, so how would they be able to save them all now? Then again, Moonjumper was right: this was their only solution for now.

 _Unfortunately_.

Said living corpse started to talk again, floating closer to the young man before putting a hand over his shoulder. Snatcher winced and furrowed his brow at the contact, still not enjoyable to him, but didn’t step away or say anything about it. He just remained silent.

-“I know it’s a lot of pressure. I’m sorry, I should have used my words better, I didn’t want to make you feel bad when you’re more than right to feel the way you do now.”

Snatcher gritted his teeth at the other’s words. He was being pitied again!

-“What about you?” he snapped back, glancing back up to glare at Moonjumper: “You’re so insistent with me using my old magic, but don’t you have my old body too?”

His question seemed to surprise the floating corpse a bit as the latter’s eyes widened. However… Soon enough, a sad smile appeared on his features and he tilted his head, as if the answer were painfully obvious:

-“You know that this type of magic uses one’s life-force as a fuel,” he started, his smile slowly disappearing: “… _And I’m not exactly alive anymore_.”

The young man’s face fell as he heard this because, even if deep down he was aware of that… It still hurt to be confronted with such a terrible reality. He was the only one that could save Subcon Forest, and while he had been more than ready for that… Using a part of himself that he had rejected for so long was much more difficult than it appeared.

Lukas, the Prince he used to be, had long been dead, and Snatcher had done everything to adopt a new persona, new attitudes, a new personality… He had changed his whole self just to kill any leftovers of who he used to be.

And now… Now he had to dig through all of these old shards of himself, those he had chosen to ignore all those years…?

He didn’t know if he could do that. Especially when said powers hadn’t been able to save him from a very, very painful and terrifying death.

Snatcher lowered his head, staring at the floor and gritting his teeth to the point it just hurt. His fists were tight and he could feel his nails almost breaking the skin of his palms, though at the moment, he didn’t care much about the pain. Compared to how terrible he was feeling at the moment, it was barely noticeable anyway.

-“… But what if I can’t…?” he murmured, his voice almost inaudible, like a whisper: “I’m not that person anymore…” He covered his face with both of his hands, already feeling some tears coming up in his eyes. No. No.

 _No_.

He didn’t want anyone to see him cry, no one, ever, and especially not Moonjumper and the little girls. The former ghost was already being pitied far too much and he didn’t want to worsen what was already quite unbearable.

-“What do you mean?” suddenly asked the bow-wearing child, with an unsure intonation: “Why wouldn’t you be able to do that anymore?”

Snatcher remained silent for a few seconds. He kept telling himself he couldn’t do magic anymore, but really, why indeed? It was hard to know the difference between what was being realistic and his self-loathing issues, which he was very well aware of, even more now that he had met Moonjumper. He really wanted to believe this could work, he really did, but then again, the question remained: “what if?”

Before he could find the words to answer her question, the other brat started to talk:

-“I mean… We could try to speed up our experiments on the Time Piece, but…” she paused, rubbing her arm: “I’m not sure it’s safe.”

The younger one added, nodding her head as she did so:

-“It won’t be safe, but if you really can’t use your powers, it’s still a risk we can take,” she slightly glared at Moonjumper before continuing: “if you think you can’t do it, it’s alright. We won’t force you. You have your reasons.”

Her older friend made a few steps in his direction and gently touched his left arm, rubbing it slowly and not putting too much pressure on it:

-“What she said,” she told him with a sad smile, though it was one that was trying to convey reassurance: “We get it, we’ll do what we can to help, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”

At their words, the former ghost felt more tears coming into his eyes. Why was he so weak…?! Why couldn’t he hold back, why couldn’t he repress those awful emotions that were hurting him so much?! Why did he have to…

 _Why did he have to be human again_?

A sob eventually escaped his lips and before he could realize what was happening, the former Prince fell onto his knees, finally breaking down. Sounds of crying echoed in the room as numerous sobs left him, making his body tremble and his shoulders shake from the conflicting sets of emotions he had to deal with. Shame, fear, anxiousness, self-loathing… All negative but very, _very powerful ones_.

Without much surprise, the trio in front of him was more than troubled by the sight and, immediately, the little girls rushed at his sides, shushing him, reassuring him and rubbing his back. But their kindness and mercy were only making things worse, were only making Snatcher cry harder from how pathetic and useless he felt at the moment.

He hated to be seen that way. He hated every second of it.

The floating corpse was watching the scene happening before him with guilt clearly visible on his features, his annoyance at Snatcher’s reticence now all washed away with the terrible realization that, no, this wasn’t as easy as what he had first thought. But not only that.

 _He had gone too far_.

With an even more remorseful expression, Moonjumper slowly joined the children to Snatcher’s side, his hands fidgeting again. The corpse glanced everywhere around him, as if he didn’t know where to stand, or, where to float rather. When his eyes came back on the former Prince, crying more and more uncontrollably, he winced, tightening his jaw. This most likely wasn’t what he had expected, but hey, he had been the one to suggest that solution, as traumatizing it was for the former ghost.

-“I…” He tried to talk again, only to stop for a brief pause, searching for his words: “I’m sorry,” he apologized, his tone full of guilt and sadness: “I shouldn’t have put so much pressure on you, when you’re already dealing with…” he gestured to the world around them: “with all of this. I guess I was… _And still am_ , actually, very scared of what might happen from now on. But that doesn’t excuse the way I talked to you earlier.”

He paused, while Snatcher’s sobs stopped, the latter clearly listening to him attentively:

-“I’m really sorry. I should have been the one to know how much this would affect you, and I’ve gone too far. I won’t force you to do anything, there are other solutions and, while we do need to find them, they still exis-”

The former ghost didn’t let the other the time to finish his sentence and cut him short:

-“I’ll do it,” he said suddenly, his voice still broken from how hard he had cried and yet sounding determined: “It’s fine. I’ll do it.”

Snatcher loathed this idea… But Moonjumper had been right, despite what he just tried to say a few instants ago: this was their only way out of this, and most likely the most efficient one. No matter how much this would affect the young man, he just… Couldn’t stand the idea of giving up when he could actually do something to prevent it. The idea of not being good enough, the idea of not being powerful enough to do a single thing… Sure, he was scared, but this was nothing compared to how he’d feel once Vanessa decided to come and freeze the entire forest again.

He was the only one who could protect Subcon and, as the rightful king of his forest, he was going to put his own suffering aside if it meant he could save all of its inhabitants.

-“Are you sure…?” asked the bow-wearing kid, whose face showed how worried she was. Well, actually, the whole trio looked that way, but she was the one looking the most concerned.

-“Yeah…” he replied, slowly lifting his head and drying his tears on his sleeve. His face was red and his hair was stuck to his wet cheeks, his hands still trembling. But he had made up his mind.

He was going to save Subcon.

 _No matter what it would take_.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehe, I sure wonder what's going to happen next :)  
> I hope you'll like the next chapters ! Thank you for your support !!


	18. “I… I did it...”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher is trying to summon his powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and happy holidays ! 
> 
> I've been stuck on this chapter for a while, I hope you'll like it ! Thank you for your patience !  
> And thank you so much for all of your positive comments, I'm so glad you like this fanfiction !
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)  
> The drawing in this chapter was made by Faylinn! (https://xxfaylinnxx.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Happy reading !
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Finding a way to use his powers was much easier said than done, just like Snatcher had feared. Of course, using human magic and soul-related magic... It was obvious there were going to be differences, whether it was on the way it functioned or just the energy it used. Thus, the former ghost had had no choice but to isolate himself to try to summon his old magic.

He still had no idea if this was going to work or not… And, well, after hours of trying, he was starting to get quite pessimistic. After a quick shower, a change of clothes and after telling Moonjumper and the girls he wanted to be alone to try, the brats had guided him to the gallery. He did remember his stay there with Cooking Cat, and he had to admit that the place was calm and more than suitable for focusing on hard-to-do stuff… Which, in that particular case, was exactly what magic was for him.

-“Come on…” he groaned, staring at the piece of paper he had been holding for a while now, a clear frown visible on his face. Why did this have to be so hard?! It shouldn’t be so difficult to light a single piece of paper on fire! It was one of the easiest thing there was for someone who could use magic! Even as a kid, he was able to summon small sparks!

So why, while being in his adult body, wasn’t he able to do at least that? This just made no sense to him. Another frustrated groan left his lips, and he let his head fall backwards, hitting the wall to which he was sitting against. With a sigh, he shut his eyes, his mind wandering to the possible reasons he couldn’t summon even the littlest spark.

Was it just a lack of practice, like he truly wanted to believe ? Or was it something darker…? Perhaps death had taken his powers away, for good, no matter what miracles (or disasters actually) a Time Piece could achieve. Rationally speaking, this didn’t make much sense, but his obvious lack of success was enough to hurt his hopes and ego. He, who had taken great pride in his magical abilities, was definitely challenged by the nonsensical difficulty of this task.

He sighed once more and eventually reopened his eyes, feeling more exhausted than ever.

The man knew the kids were working on their own, tinkering with the Time Piece that had caused all of this… But, deep inside, he was terribly aware that he was most likely the only one able to stop Vanessa. No matter how much he hated this, how much the whole ordeal scared him much past his comfort zone…

He was still the only person able to face her… And the only person she was really looking for, honestly. Whether she knew the Snatcher had been her lover all along or just wanted to destroy the rest of the forest to defy the entity that had taken control of it, he didn’t know. What he did know, however… Was that, no matter what obstacles she would encounter, she wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted.

She might be unpredictable now that she had become a true monster, but this had stayed the same, even after death. Or, well, whatever had happened to her, really. Magic corruption, while he knew a bit on the topic, was not his forte. Fire was.

Fire was his forte and he was unable to light a single piece of paper on fire. That simple thought made Snatcher grit his teeth hard: this was just painfully humiliating. He shut his eyes again, clenching his fists around the paper, his muscles tensing up.

-“Come on…!” he repeated, more and more enraged by how useless he felt. Gods, he had been here for hours, now! Why couldn’t he do something that simple? He needed this! Maybe he had been wrong to repress his old human self, okay, sure, yeah, he could accept that it might have been a mistake, because he sure needed his old abilities now. For Gods’ sake, his insane fiancé was ready to destroy the entire forest, the kingdom he had worked so hard to restore, the children he had saved from oblivion… And all of this, everything that had taken him centuries to rebuild, was going to be wiped out by his crazy ex?

_No_.

No he would not accept that. Anger fuelled him again, his brow furrowing and his face getting redder as seconds passed. He would _not_ allow that, he would not accept any of this, not now, _not ever_. After everything Vanessa had done to him, to his, no, _their_ kingdom, its inhabitants…!

She didn’t deserve to win anything. And he would make sure of it, no matter how much time it would take. The former ghost couldn’t help but snicker bitterly. This shouldn’t be so hard, it was just a matter of focusing, concentrating his inner energy towards a single thought, one that would materialize in the form of heat radiating from his fingers… Then, it was just a matter of intensifying it until it-

Snatcher’s train of thought was interrupted as his nose caught a very peculiar smell, one that definitely forced him to come back to reality, wondering what could be the cause of it. Yet… Yet, he kind of already knew. He knew that smell.

_The smell of something burning_.

The man focused back on the small piece of paper he had been holding, his fingers trembling and feeling weaker. The former shade’s eyes widened as he saw the little black spot on the paper, slowly consuming it, little yellow sparks coming out of the tips of his fingers. Small crackling sounds could be heard as the fire was starting to develop, even if just a little. For a moment, he couldn’t move, his stare fixed on the paper as the sparks died down, surprise and bewilderment bothering the focus he desperately needed to keep them up.

He… _He did it_. Snatcher had just managed to summon his magic. His human magic, the one that ran through his family, the one he had pushed away all those years while trying to forget about his old self- It was there, _literally_ at the tips of his fingers.

-“I…” His voice was low, like a whisper: “I did it,” he breathed out, his eyes unable to leave the burning paper. His mind was empty of thoughts, and it is only when the fire died down for good that he, once more, came back to reality.

He had done it! Soon, a small smile started to creep at his lips, while waves of relief were hitting him continuously: with this, he would be able to light the Subcon Fires back! Sure, he had only been able to summon sparks… But this was just the beginning! After all, he had just been proven that his human magic was still accessible! Who knew what he could still do after all of these centuries!

With a smile that was just getting wider and wider each new passing second, the former ghost stood up quickly, his body swaying a bit from how clumsy he still was. But he didn’t care, it was nothing compared to the feelings of relief, pride and satisfaction he was experiencing at this very moment. Subcon was saved! Once the fires would be back to their usual size, all he would have to do would be to wait in this human body until the girls figured out how to reverse the whole situation.

This was just perfect!

With a newfound and powerful determination, the young man stumbled to the door as fast as he could, excited to show this to the trio. He’d show them he was still the powerful ruler of Subcon, he’d show them how wrong they had been to pity him! And so, once the gallery door opened, the former shade climbed up the hallway slope and reached the machine room. As soon as the door opened, his eyes immediately fell onto the trio, who were all busy working, doing… Whatever was needed to make the Time Piece work in reverse. The hatted brat seemed to be pushing buttons on a large machine while the younger child was tinkering with another machine, the latter plugged onto the inside of the Time Piece, to which the top had been removed. Now, several long metal cables, all of them with different colours, were sitting inside the magical sand. As for Moonjumper, he was hovering over the two kids, glancing at what they were doing with a lot of attention.

All three of them turned their head to him when he entered the room. It wasn’t long before a look of confusion spread onto their features as they saw the big, wide and unusual smile on his face… Before their eyes moved to the burnt paper piece he was holding. Suddenly, all confusion was replaced by relief and exaltation.

-“You did it!” exclaimed the bow-wearing kid, running to him with a large grin. She was quickly followed by her older hatted friend, who smiled at him too:

-“Woah,” she said in a mocking tone : “You managed to burn a piece of paper, _congrats_ ,” she taunted him, though the former shade could see in her expression that the mockery wasn’t genuine. She was truly happy and visibly relieved, which definitely made sense in their current situation.

-“Oh, _shut up_ ,” he retorted, though it lacked his usual cutting tone. Instead, it was playful, entirely so. The little girl replied by a snort and patted him on the side of his arm as a congratulation gesture. Sure, Snatcher couldn’t help but flinch at the contact, but it meant nothing to him at the moment.

All he knew was that their situation would soon be fixed!

Moonjumper didn’t take long to float closer as well, an awkward smile visible on his mask of a face:

-“I must say,” he started, eyes glancing around as if he weren’t able to look at Snatcher directly: “I’m quite relieved you managed to summon our- _your_ old powers,” he chuckled weakly, before his expression darkened, his eyes eventually settling back on Snatcher’s. His posture was much more tensed than before and a deep frown was visible on his face: “I’m sorry I pushed you out of your comfort zone. It was more than insensitive, and… While you did succeed, I wanted you to know that I’m truly sorry. I panicked and-”

But the young man lifted the piece of paper as a sign for the other to stop talking. When the latter did, Snatcher’s smile widened even more, clear glee on his features:

-“Doesn’t matter,” he replied with confidence as he held the blacked paper higher, waving it happily: “Now that I can access my old powers, it doesn’t matter anym-”

However, his words were cut short by a knocking sound on the machine room door, the one leading to the hub. Silence fell into the room as the entire team looked at each other in bewilderment and confusion. How…? They were the only people on the ship! Did someone enter the ship while no one was looking? Then again, the alarm should had been triggered by the intrusion… It had for Moonjumper, and Moonjumper wasn’t even alive to begin with!

It wasn’t long until the two kids took out their weapons, two umbrellas that Snatcher knew all too well, from their battle with him.

Nothing he wanted to remember, really.

Slowly and carefully, the little girls moved to the door, snaking to it while keeping their umbrellas up and ready to fight in case someone entered the machine room for a surprise attack. With a quick nod, the two children took a final step towards the door, making it open from the movement detection… But, when it did open, no one was standing there.

Snatcher’s confusion intensified, probably like all the others: if no one was there… Who had knocked on the doo- However, before he was even able to finish that thought, a series of high pitched sounds forced everyone to look to the floor… Only to see the little vacuum cleaner, visibly more than agitated.

-“Rumbi…?” murmured the hat wearing kid as she lowered her weapon, perplexity showing on her features. She was then imitated by her younger friend, who lowered her umbrella too.

-“What’s wrong, buddy?” she crouched down to the device’s level, as if she were talking to a pet rather than to a robot. She was ready to put her hand on it, to pet it most probably… But it quickly slid away from her, still making high-pitched sounds, sounds that seemed… Panicked, for as much panicked a machine could get.

-“What is he doing?” asked the bow-wearing kid to her friend, who just shrugged.

Something was _wrong_. Snatcher could feel it in the guts he didn’t have a week ago. He didn’t like this, and somehow, he couldn’t help but have a premonition for what it all meant. No, no, please, not this.

Not this. _He wasn’t ready for it yet_.

Not letting anyone else the time to move, the former ghost moved forward with quick and wobbly steps. He vaguely heard the trio calling out to him, then following him… But it didn’t matter anymore. When the young man’s eyes settled on the little vacuum cleaner at his feet, the machine turned to the large window and made alarmed beeping sounds.

It was trying to say something. _Something that had to do with the window_.

And Snatcher was so, so afraid to look. He didn’t want to know, he didn’t want to know, he didn’t want to kno-

-“Oh Gods, no… _No_ …” Moonjumper’s voice gave him the feeling of a cold shower, an icy one even, and without actually wanting to, his eyes drifted to the window, not able to take the awful suspense anymore. However, what he saw… Made him _freeze_ , his eyes widening, this time not from surprise, not from happiness… But from pure horror as his golden eyes stared at the planet they all could see from where they stood.

On the purple land of Subcon Forest… A white stain had progressed far beyond the Queen’s domain, and had been invading the first areas of his kingdom.

Vanessa was making her move…

And they were not ready for it.

_Snatcher_ was not ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)c


	19. “Send me back there!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes back to Subcon... And discovers a terrible sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO GUYS, NEW CHAPTER, WOOHOOOO
> 
> I'm so so so sorry for the delay. I've had quite the writer block, and uh my mental health wasn't so great either (it still isn't but my meds are working better)... Now I'm feeling better, and I finally managed to finish that chapter I've been stuck on for a while. I hope you'll like it !
> 
> Thank you everyone for your lovely comments, they bring such joy to me, you have no idea. Thank you so much. I know I take some time replying to them, but I do read them as soon as I receive them. They really mean a lot to me.
> 
> Anyway... Happy reading, I hope you'll like this chapter ! I tried putting more descriptions, hopefully this improved my writing style !
> 
> The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/

Snatcher didn’t want to believe it. It was the materialization of his nightmares, of all he had started to fear the very instant he was back in his old body- This couldn’t be happening, no, _not this way_!

And yet, here it was, right in front of his eyes. The moment he saw that white stain slowly progressing through his territory, his heart had stopped beating, the air got stuck in his throat… And it was like a bucket of _icy_ water had been thrown on his now trembling shoulders. He was not ready for any of this to happen.

_This was the worst-case scenario._

Suddenly, memories of what had become of Subcon after he managed to flee the manor came back to him, blinding him from how intense they were. Visions of frozen corpses, dwellers stuck into ice forever and killed for a second time, all souls drained away from a village that was once so full of life, a wave of cold and death transforming Subcon Village and Subcon Forest into forgotten places, _devastated places_.

And now, his minions and other dwellers were in danger again, at the mercy of what was left of a crazy Queen- one he hadn’t had the courage to kill when he could have done so. Fear had always paralyzed him, the thought of facing _Her_ again, after all these years, after everything that had happened, after everything he had been forced to go through… He couldn’t, he just couldn’t imagine that!

But despite this… Snatcher still had a kingdom to save- his kingdom and all of its undead inhabitants. And so, without hesitation but still with a deadly pale face, the man turned to the little girls, an expression of panic clearly visible on his features:

-“Send me back there!” he yelled at them, urging them to help him to save Subcon. Without thinking much either, the kids nodded with determination and dashed into different directions, most likely to bring weapons and such with them. The bow-wearing child ran to the machine room while the hatted brat ran to her bedroom. The young man glanced back at Moonjumper next to him, whose eyes were still fixed on the white stains representative of Vanessa’s intrusion in Subcon.

-“Hey!” he called out to his counterpart -this wasn’t the time to be stuck in thoughts!-, quickly catching the other’s attention. Soon, two very panicked eyes settled on him, and Snatcher couldn’t really blame him.

_He was rather terrified, himself_.

-“Can you fight?” he asked the one who had stolen his corpse, despite already knowing the answer. He had witnessed the corpse’s powers and how devastating they could be- Moonjumper had even destroyed some part of his forest at some point! But still… He had to make sure. Against a strong and unpredictable opponent such as Vanessa, they couldn’t allow themselves to take any risks… And anyone ready to fight her was more than welcome.

Unsurprisingly, the corpse paled even more than what he already was, his eyes widening in terror and his mouth gaping as he struggled to find an answer. But then again… The young man was scared to _death_ too. _Ha_.

Not the time for puns.

-“I…” Moonjumper gulped down saliva he didn’t even need, looking away : “Yes,” he answered, his tone trembling and hesitant : “Yes, I… I can.”

-“ _Will you_?” wondered Snatcher with a lower tone, directly addressing how scared the corpse seemed to be at the idea of facing Vanessa. He… Was giving him a choice, sort of. He knew the time was not for choices, but… He knew what it was like to be pushed into fighting when one wasn’t ready for it. It was exactly what his counterpart had done when it came to relearning how to summon his fire.

_And Snatcher didn’t want to do that himself_.

Moonjumper seemed to catch this and guilt crossed his features, frowning as he looked away once more. Eventually, not saying another word… Moonjumper nodded. Fear was still very much visible on his face and from his body language… But he seemed more determined than before, as if Snatcher’s questions had made him realize something.

-“This is my home too,” said the other, gravely: “I’ll do what it takes to protect it. You can count on me.”

The young man nodded, a wave of relief hitting him. The thought of facing Vanessa was not an easy one… But knowing he wouldn’t be alone made the whole thing less… _Unbearable_ , somehow. At least, they had more chances than if he had gone there alone.

Just as he finished this train of thoughts, the little girls came back running, both carrying things with them. The hatted brat was the first one to reach them, holding her own blue umbrella and the other’s pink umbrella… As well as a baseball bat, which she handed to him.

-“You’ll need this,” she told him. He was about to refuse… But he interrupted himself: _she was right_. His powers were too weak to be used in a fight. Sure, he could summon little flames, but this was hardly anything compared to the Queen’s blizzard. No, if they wanted to have a chance to fight her… They’d have to use their brains and physical weapons. While magic wasn’t completely out of the line thanks to Moonjumper… He knew what Vanessa was capable of, and didn’t want to take any risks. And so… He took the baseball bat, holding it in front of him. It was… Rather heavy, but in a way… That only reminded him of his old sword training. Sure, it had been quite a long time since then, but… Perhaps it would be similar.

At the same moment, the bow-wearing kid stopped to them, holding in her arms… The Time Piece? What did she want to do with it ?

The little girl seemed to catch the question in his expression and lifted the powerful hourglass as she spoke:

-“We didn’t have the time to modify it,” she explained, her expression serious: “but it might be useful to us if we ever get in trouble. Hat and I will use it in that case.”

Snatcher nodded and once more asked the brats to teleport them down there. And, in the click of a button… It was done. Of course, the previous Prince felt terrible from the teleportation, his stomach threatening to make him throw up… But he didn’t have the time to worry about that. When he was finally able to look around him, what he saw turned his blood to _ice_.

The group had appeared in the swamp area… But it barely looked like it anymore. The swamp had been completely frozen, hands coming out of the surface, turned into immobile ice statues. The trees had lost all of their purple hues, looking white from the snow and ice that had now covered everything. It was hard to tell the difference between the ground and the frozen swamp, but for the members of the group, this wasn’t impossible. They knew the forest quite well, after all, especially Snatcher. Still, the sight that was in front of them was terrifying. It was snowing, a lot of flakes falling and making it hard to see what was far away. Furthermore, it was cold, _very cold_ … And the three humans couldn’t help but shiver from how low the temperature was.

But it wasn’t like they had had the time to prepare for such a situation.

-“Where are the subconites? What about the dwellers?” asked the bow-wearing kid, horrified by what she was seeing. Snatcher couldn’t blame her: he was, too.

-“Hiding, or…” Or frozen to death. _Again_. He didn’t finish his sentence, and no one insisted. The rest was just painfully obvious.

The man tightened his grip on the baseball bat. His old self would have never even thought of hurting Vanessa in any way, especially physical- but things had changed. A kingdom had been lost. People had been killed. Children had been murdered.

_Things were much, much more different now_.

-“Let’s go,” he murmured darkly, his voice barely audible through the wind and snow… But it seemed enough, and the group started to walk, careful of where they put their feet. Who knew what could be hiding below the snow…

-“Should we split ?” asked the hatted brat, glancing at her contractual BFF: “We don’t know where she is, or what she’s planning to do…”

The former spirit wanted to tell her this was a bad idea, considering the strengths and powers of their enemy… But he couldn’t find any good alternative. He knew she was right, the Forest _was_ big enough for her to be _anywhere_. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack… Considering their lack of time, they needed to be quick to find her and neutralize her, in whatever way they could, temporarily… _Or permanently_.

-“Fine,” he agreed reluctantly: “We’ll have more chances on finding her that way.”

-“Are you sure?” asked Moonjumper, visibly against that idea: “We know what she’s capable of. If we split up, we need a way to alert the other group if something goes wrong.”

The corpse had a point, and the group thought for a moment. But soon enough, the face of the bow-wearing child lightened up, as if she just had a revelation. She lifted her umbrella as she opened her mouth, decided to explain her idea:

-“What if we used our projectile badges?” she offered, pulling a badge out of the pocket of her jacket, before replacing one of those already in place on her weapon: “If something happens, we can give the other group a signal. That way, we’ll know if one group found her, or needs help.”

The entire team nodded, and Snatcher was rather surprised: this… _Was_ a very good idea, actually. But…

-“So that means you won’t be together, then,” pointed out Moonjumper before he was able to, gesturing at the two: “That… Reassures me, in a way,” he admitted, looking away: “I don’t like the idea of you two going out alone and risking to fight her. She’s stronger than she looks.”

It was easy to see that his contractual friend wasn’t happy with his words, but she held her tongue. She was probably remembering their trip to the manor, and how scared they had been. Here again, he couldn’t blame them. Vanessa _was_ terrifying after all.

-“Yeah,” she eventually sighed, though it was easy to say she was trying her best not to show arrogance or imprudence. The situation was too serious for that. However, she thought for a moment, before glancing back to the previous Prince:

-“Bow should go with you,” she suddenly told him, lost in thoughts.

-“Why?” he retorted, a bit lost. To be completely honest, he had expected her to go with him, considering there had always been some kind of rival complicity between them. So, it was safe to say he was a little surprised by her suggestion.

-“Bow has the Time Piece with her,” she replied, gesturing to her friend, who soon elaborated on that point:

-“It’s the best defense we have,” she explained, lifting the Hourglass as she spoke: “If something happens to one of us, I can rewind time and change the course of events.”

Snatcher had no problem figuring out what the two children had really meant, and he narrowed his eyes in response. Now that he was a human, unable to use his magic except for summoning a small flame, he was pretty much harmless against Vanessa, even with a baseball bat. This was their nice way of saying “ _you can’t fight so this will help you to stay alive_ ”, and this honestly infuriated him. He was _not_ useless, he was _not_ weak!

… But as much as he wanted to argue, Subcon was still very much in danger, and they already lost so much time deciding of their plan. There was no time for bickering when half of the Forest had already been frozen, from what they had been able to see so far. Maybe more, now.

-“Okay, fine,” he grunted, before gesturing to where his home was. There was a possibility Vanessa was looking for him there, so this would most likely be the first strategic place to invest : “We’ll check my tree first, then the Subcon ruins. As for you, check the Subcon Well and the village. If you see anyone, tell them to hide until we get rid of that… _Infestation_ ,” he spat.

-“Very well,” answered Moonjumper, nodding with determination. The hatted brat imitated him, and wished them luck. The duo then got to work, leaving them to go search for any clue leading them to Vanessa. It was hard to find her in all this snow, in this blizzard… And it was so cold, it was hard to focus.

The bow-wearing kid was the one to pull him out of his thoughts, patting him on the side. The contact immediately brought him back to reality.

-“Let’s go,” she offered, decided to find their enemy despite the unnatural icy cold of the Forest. Snatcher merely nodded in response and the two of them left to explore the places they had in mind. It was, however… Much harder than they had first thought, and especially what Snatcher had had in mind. First, he had had to come to the fact that a large part of his kingdom had been affected by now. The snow was deep, showing it had been snowing a lot for a while now. The places were desert. His home had been entirely covered in snow, the furniture barely noticeable under the thick layer of flakes. No matter how much they looked around them, they couldn’t discern any suspicious silhouette in their surroundings, and they couldn’t hear anything either. All they could perceive was the sound of their own footsteps in the snow, which was crackling under their shoes. Snatcher’s feet were wet, his sneakers not adapted to this type of weather at all. The little girl accompanying him seemed to be fine in that regard, though she was holding the Time Piece against her, probably because she was cold. Well, _he was too_.

-“You seeing anything?” he asked her, narrowing his eyes as he tried to see what was in front of them, the falling snow making it hard to detect anything at all.

-“No,” she admitted, her teeth chattering as she held the magical Hourglass closer: “I don’t think we’ll find her here.”

The former ghost frowned, but nodded nonetheless. He had been so sure they would find her there… After all, if she wanted to find him, wouldn’t it make sense to check his home first ? Then again, the place was already covered in snow which, when he thought about it… Showed that she had already been there before. And now, there was no sign of the Ice Queen there. Plus… Did she really know who he became after his death? Why his corpse had disappeared from the cellar? Did she put two and two and figured out the other ghost haunting the forest was the Prince she had murdered? She was so unstable… It was hard to figure out what she was thinking.

The new team moved in direction of the Subcon ruins. Just like his home, the landscape had been more than affected by Vanessa’s passage. The buildings were all covered in snow, now deeper than ever. Maybe she had been there before, but it wasn’t the case anymore. The place was _deserted_. Sure, Subcon Forest had become quite the deserted place after Vanessa’s outburst, but this was a whole new level. There weren’t any spiders, any subconites, any dwellers… Any lifeform, whether alive or undead, had left this place.

They were the only ones near the Ruins, he was sure of it. A sneeze forced his mind back to reality, his body contorting as he expulsed the air out of his lungs. Ugh… It was getting very, _very cold_ , and Snatcher couldn’t feel his feet or his fingers anymore. His body hurt, like a burn, but in a whole, _new_ different way.

_Something that only reminded him of terrible memories_.

He glanced to the kid next to him, who had stepped away to search around the Ruins. Her face was getting… A bit blue, and she was definitely trembling. Now Snatcher was not an expert in human health or their abilities in surviving in extreme conditions, but he had seen enough as a ghost to know it was bad. And as a human… Well, _he had had the opportunity to find out through real experiences._

-“Kiddo ?” he called out to her, only to find out his voice was rasp from the cold. His throat hurt, the icy air burning his throat and his lungs. They needed to find Vanessa, and quick… Otherwise, they’d turn into ice cubes before getting the chance to fight her. And, more seriously, they needed to find her while they were still able to move and fight. Otherwise… Well, being too cold to move would just make the fight even more unbalanced than it already was.

The bow-wearing child lifted her head at his call, having found nothing of interest either. She came back to him, some ice hanging from her nose. Heck, they really needed to find something, _anything_!

-“You okay?” he asked, without any hint of sarcasm or mockery this time. The situation was too serious for that.

-“Yeah,” she answered, probably lying: “You?” she asked back, worry clearly visible on her face.

-“I’m fine,” he lied too, though it was not really out of worry for her, but more about preserving what was left of his pride. He was _not_ weak, he could do this, no, he _had to_!

-“I wonder if they found something…” added the little girl, rubbing her hands together as she looked around them, hoping to find a sign. But nothing came: “Where should we look, now?” she asked expectantly, though he could see that she was definitely tensed. Who knew how long they’d be able to stay and continue their search with such low temperatures…

Snatcher still took the time to think about her question. If he ever chose the wrong place again, then… Then they might be too cold to be able to fight, should they find her after that. They could look around the bridge, but this wouldn’t make much sense. Why would Vanessa go back ? No, she couldn’t possibly be there, and she apparently wasn’t where the other two we-

However, before he was able to finish that train of thought… A loud sound echoed around them, making the ground shake a little. Snatcher’s heart missed a bit for a second, and he looked around him, panicked. Was it _Her_? Was she there, ready to attack them? What else could it- His thoughts fell silent as he noticed the little girl pointing at the sky. Careful, slowly, his eyes followed her arm, then her hand, then her pointing finger… Until he noticed a large white beam illuminating the whole Forest like a new Sun, before slowly disappearing as if it had never been there in the first place.

Silence fell between the two as they had to process this terrible realization.

The hatted brat and Moonjumper had used the signal, they were in trouble, they needed help… But this wasn’t all it meant, no… Far from it.

_This also meant they had found Vanessa_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, another cliffhanger :)c I sure wonder what's going to happen...  
> Thank you so much for your patience and your support, it means a lot to me. "Being Human" now has more views than "Reliving An Old Nightmare", and it's really an accomplishment for me, as it means I'm getting better at writing stories. Thank you for helping me improve, really.
> 
> See you guys on the next chapter ! Stay safe everyone !


	20. “Show yourself!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for the rest of the group continues... But things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, heeeeeey  
> So uh I may have overcome my writer and artist block, I don't know, but... In any case, as an apology for the recent lack of content, you get this chapter the day after it was finished !  
> I hope you'll like it, just like I hope you'll like the drawing coming with it ! (I feel like I've improved a lot)
> 
> Anyway ! The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/
> 
> Happy reading !

Snatcher was running, running through the snow as fast as he could, as fast as his cold limbs allowed him to. Ever since he had become human again, the former spirit had had trouble keeping himself up on his two legs. However… At the moment, it was like it didn’t matter anymore, as if his body instinctively knew exactly how to run without falling, without stumbling into the deep and thick snow.

“ _Please,_ ” he thought to himself, despair engulfing him whole: “ _please, let them be safe,_ ” he prayed to whatever deity would be ready to listen to him despite his kill count. The thought of what could have happened to Moonjumper and… _No_ , he couldn’t think about it, he _didn’t_ want to think about it.

His lungs were hurting, stinging like never before, the cold air not helping in the least. It felt like thousands of needles were piercing his lungs, his heart pounding in his chest, his stomach tied in knots… It was an awful feeling, but it was nothing compared to what the other two might be experiencing.

He had to find them, _he had to_! If he was too late… No, he simply couldn’t be, _he couldn't allow himself to be_!

-“W-wait for me! Snatcher!” the bow-wearing child was trying to follow him, but he supposed having an adult body fueled by pure adrenaline made him run faster than her. Still, lost in his dreadful thoughts, the young man barely heard her. He was too focused on running to the direction of the beacon, of that laser beam that had such a terrible meaning attached to it.

The closer they were getting, the lower the temperatures were, making it harder and harder to run- But Snatcher didn’t care. _He couldn’t_.

Flakes were falling into his eyes and he couldn’t help but fall down as he had to close his eyes. His foot got tangled in a barely visible root. A muffled cry left his blue lips as his face hit the thick snow on the ground, forcing the air out of his lungs from the shock. No, he couldn’t stop, every second was important!

The child managed to join him while he was trying to get up, his limbs hurting from the cold and the efforts. Her breath was quick and heavy: she was, just like him, exhausted. Still, she frowned as she helped him to get back to his feet:

-“Don’t run off like this, we need to stay together!” she told him, and he knew she was right. If he had crossed Vanessa’s way alone… She would have easily killed him. But he couldn’t be slow when they had to-

-“Wait,” the bow-wearing kid squinted as she tried to see something a dozen feet away : “What’s _that_?” she continued, pointing to a silhouette that was almost invisible in this blizzard, which had worsened the closer they got to their friends. The falling snow prevented them from perceiving what surrounded them, both hiding them and making them _extremely vulnerable_ , should Vanessa find them.

The former ghost narrowed his eyes but shook his head. This didn’t move, so it… _Probably_ wasn’t Vanessa. But it wasn’t a tree nor a rock, it didn’t have that kind of shape. Still, this was definitely a form he had never seen before in his forest. This _had_ to be a clue leading them to Vanessa or to the rest of the group.

-“I don’t know,” he murmured, his voice getting lower. If Vanessa was near them, he didn’t want her to hear them and find exactly where they were. Then again… Where _was_ the rest of the group? Snatcher and the kid had gone in the direction of the laser beam… Yet, they couldn’t hear anything but the sound of the wind, of the snow falling around them…But no trace of a fight, no voices, no sounds of people defending themselves… This terrible silence was giving him a terrible feeling and, deep down… _He couldn’t help but fear for the worst_.

-“Let’s get closer,” added the young man, stepping closer to the foreign shape, the snow crackling under his trembling feet. He was hugging himself now, both because of the cold and the fear of seeing something terrifying. He still kept walking, but the closer he got, the harder it became. Not because of the low temperatures… But because, little by little, he was starting to figure out what this strange shape was. And now, around six feet away from it… He stopped, his heart missing a beat, and his breath getting stuck in his throat. It was like he had just received a bucket of cold, no, icy water on his shoulders.

No. No. No, no, no, no! This couldn’t be possible, this couldn’t be happening! This had to be a dream, a nightmare!

The bow-wearing child stopped next to him, her face paling up at the sight, this terrifying and horrifying sight, one that none of them would ever be able to forget.

-“H… Hat…?” she murmured, her eyes watering despite the surrounding blizzard. She didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want to accept what she had in front of her. Expressions full of despair, fear and horror crossed her features as she let go of the Time Piece, too shocked to care. The magical hourglass fell into the snow, not breaking as its fall was softened by the thick, white layer covering the ground.

The little girl made a few steps forward, slowly, trembling on her legs as she started crying. Snatcher… Was no better. Sorrow could be seen on his face as his eyes couldn’t look away.

Right in front of them… Was the hat-wearing child, completely turned to ice, an expression of horror visible on her frozen features. Not far away from the small statue, another one was laying on the ground, almost hidden by the snow that had fallen after the other’s terrible fate. Moonjumper’s face showed a mix of terror and fear, now carved forever on his face. He had probably been floating before he got frozen, as his arm had been broken, most likely from the fall. A few red strings could be seen next to him, flying through the blizzard, only held by a frozen hand.

Snatcher fell to his knees, white noise ringing into his head, his eyes lost into space. No. This couldn’t be. He was dreaming, he was having a nightmare, a terrifying nightmare, just like he had when he had dreamt about his death. So now, he was dreaming about the brat and Moonjumper’s deaths! Because his brain was a jerk! _What other explanation could there be…_?

After a few seconds, the former shade realized he had stopped breathing. When he tried to, the air got stuck in his throat and he coughed.He almost threw up, a horrible nausea challenging the limits of his body and his emotions. Said body contorted and soon, he was all curled up on the ground. His cheeks hurt, stinging like cuts in his skin. He pressed his cold hand to his cheek… Only to notice he was crying, and the reason it hurt was because his tears were turning into ice.

-“No… No!” Not far away, he could hear the bow-wearing child crying, screaming as she hugged the statue of her friend, as if she were refusing to let her go. Her voice full of despair was echoing all around despite the wind muffling the sounds.

_He… Had been too late_.

The former Prince looked at his hands, shaking. He should have been there for them… And now here he was, next to two frozen corpses, new ones adding up to the pile of dead people that Subcon had welcomed into its midst.

This place was cursed. Nothing he had ever done and nothing he will ever do would change anything. Those who stepped into his forest never _did_ leave in one piece indeed… And not always because of him, like this all proved.

-“Hat… Hat, stop…! This is _not_ funny…!” sobbed the other child, as she was trying to take her friend’s signature top hat away. Perhaps she was thinking the hatted brat had voluntarily turned herself into a statue thanks to her ice hat… But Snatcher knew better. This was not a joke, this…

_This was all Vanessa’s fault_.

That single thought brought him back to reality, and only then he realized he couldn’t feel most of his muscles. Curled up in the snow, like this… He would die if he didn’t move _now_. With a newfound vigor, Snatcher forced himself up, anger, no, _fury_ engulfing him. He was going to kill Her, he would make sure this never, ever happened-

-“ _Who’s there?!_ ”

Snatcher’s entire body froze as he heard _those words_ , _this voice_ … The bow-wearing brat seemed to have the same reaction and their eyes met instantly, both of them with the same thought echoing in their mind.

_Here was the murderer of their friends_.

The young man’s fury intensified, a warmth spreading in his chest and around him. Soon, his body started to glow, casting around him a yellowish light, making the snow surrounding him melt as heat radiated from him. His clenched fists were becoming hotter and hotter and, as if on cue, flames started to grow out of his fingers. Fueled by anger like fire was by coal, his flames were getting so hot that, after a few seconds… They changed colors.

His yellow fire had been replaced by warmer, more dangerous blue flames. He didn’t pick up the baseball bat, knowing he would surely burn it just by touching it in his state. In any case… Snatcher would not make the same error twice.

_Letting her go was not an option anymore_.

Not too far away from him, the bow-wearing child adopted a defensive pose, holding her umbrella like one would hold a sword. She was looking everywhere around them, looking for any threat, any sign of Vanessa’s presence. He was, too. Unfortunately… The blizzard just seemed to grow worse and worse as seconds passed. Did that mean Vanessa was getting closer…?

-“Stop hiding, you coward!!” he shouted, turning his head as he tried to perceive a form, a silhouette, anything, _but to no avail_. This only made him more furious than he already was. He opened his mouth, and he felt like fire was escaping from his throat: “Show yourself!”

He had to do what hehad been too afraid to do when he had fled left: kill her, _once and for all_.

But silence was his only answer. Had… Had she left? Did she _really_ have the nerve to pull that up, after she had killed their friends?! Was she _really_ going to do that?!

No. No, she had heard them… And Snatcher had yelled at her, so there was no way she would have left. Still… Still, a good minute had passed and Vanessa was nowhere in sight. The little girl seemed to be confused just like he was as she turned to him, trying to understand what was going on. A trail of white lines could be seen on her face: frozen tears. Snatcher was sure the same was visible on his cheeks.

Suddenly, a look of realization crossed her features and she seemed to look around them, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. What was she-

-“The Time Piece!” she urged him : “Where is it?!”

The gears in the former ghost’s mind clicked and he understood why she was asking for it. She was probably intending on using it to go back in time, back to when Moonjumper and the hatted brat were still alive! Of course, how could they have forgotten something so _obvious_ …! Snatcher looked around him, his eyes searching near the last place he had seen the Time Piece… However, his face paled when he realized the blizzard had added a new layer of snow, covering everything up.

The Time Piece was there, surely… _But there was no way of finding it_.

He turned back to answer her- but the moment he looked in her direction, the ground started to shake. The young man’s heart missed a beat, but before he was able to do or say anything, four high walls of thick ice emerged from the ground, surrounding the little girl and trapping her into an ice prison.

The Time Piece now completely forgotten, the former Prince dashed to her sides, the adrenaline making him forget the numbness of his muscles. His powers died down from the surprise, leaving him cold again.

No, no, not this…!

-“Kiddo!!” He stopped in front of one of the walls, pounding onto it with as much strength he could gather in such condition. Panic replaced his fury and was making him shake. He couldn’t lose her, _he couldn’t lose anyone else_!

-“Answer me!!” he yelled at her through the ice, his nails scratching at the frozen surface painfully. His body was hurting so much from the cold…!

-“I… I’m alright!” he heard from the other side, and he could perceive some sort of _silhouette_ through the thick wall of ice. The other’s voice was trembling, though it was probably more out of surprise than anything else. _Or so he hoped_ … But soon, her words brought him back to reality: “The Time Piece, find it, we ne-”

However, the little girl didn’t have the time to finish her sentence as a new voice echoed around them:

-“ _My Prince~_ …!” it sang, gleefully: “ _I’ve finally found you…_ ” In a single instant, Snatcher’s blood turned to ice and he instinctively turned his head to the source of the voice. Horror crossed his features as, _finally_ , his eyes caught a _familiar_ form a dozen feet away, slowly approaching him. His limbs were frozen, fear paralyzing him, and he couldn’t help but remain completely still, unable to move as he saw his worst nightmare getting closer and closer.

This was happening, this was _actually_ happening- and he was not ready, no, _he wasn’t_ -

-“Snatcher, run!!” Poundings from inside of the ice prison broke him out of his trance and the former ghost came back to his senses. He couldn’t stay here! The life and survival of his group was entirely in his hands now.

Inhabited by a new determination, Snatcher started to search into the snow, looking for a sign, _any sign_ , indicating the location of the Time Piece. Giggling could be heard behind him as the Queen approached him, only reminding him of the danger he and the child were in. He had to find it, _he had to be fast…_! His lungs hurt, and the only thing preventing him from collapsing from the cold and exhaustion was the adrenaline, pumping fast into his veins. He knew it wouldn’t last, and this was _exactly_ why he needed to find it _now_.

_This was a matter of life and death_.

-“ _There you are~_ …!”

The young man took a second to look behind his back, his blue hands still into the snow, looking for any object he might encounter. The silhouette was now dangerously close and he could see her red, glowing eyes now. He had to find that hourglass, he had to find it, he had to-

Suddenly, his fingers bumped into something solid and his heart missed a bit. _Could it be_ …? With a feeling of hope swelling inside of him, the former Prince grabbed the object and lifted it up, pulling it out of the snow. Instantly, a blue, glowing light emanated from what he was holding. A wave of relief suddenly hit him: the Time Piece! He had found it!

_But this was not over yet_.

Snatcher got up as fast as he could, almost stumbling back into the thick snow, and started to run… _Feeling claws brushing his hair_ …

He knew very well who those claws belonged to. Dread and horror settled on him as he realized he had almost been caught. A single second too late, _and it would have all been over_ … A chill ran down his spine, but he forced himself to ignore it, just like he was trying to ignore the pain, the exhaustion, the fear-

All he knew was that he was running, running fast, doing his best to get the Queen away from his group. It would be too risky to rewind time if Vanessa was around them- she could easily kill them all again for all he knew.

He needed to lead her somewhere else, where the others would be safe from her. But then, it hit him: how would he alert the rest of his group about his position…? He didn’t have a projectile badge! And no one would be able to hear him scream if he got too far away…!

-“ _Come back! Hehehehe_ ~,” sing-sang a terribly familiar voice, _right behind him_. Vanessa was maybe quite hunchbacked… But she was immune to exhaustion. Snatcher, on the other hand, was not. And he could feel her claws lightly touching the scalp of his hair, and who knew when she would decide to use his powers to stop him…! Who knew when she would stop seeing this as a game…? He felt even more furious at that particular thought: she had murdered his friends and she was thinking of this as some _twisted game_! How dares she!

If he had to do something… _It was now or never_. And so, with that in mind…

Snatcher suddenly changed direction, confusing his pursuer momentarily. He took a deep breath and, with determination, charged a nearby tree. He held the Time Piece next to him, his arm out straight and ready to hit the frozen trunk of that three. He wouldn’t be able to stop to break the hourglass… So he might as well use his current speed to his advantage. The former shade narrowed his eyes, a single thought echoing his mind as he got closer and closer from the tree, a wish for the Time Piece to grant.

“ _Please let them be safe. Please, anything, as long as they’re alive and well, please, please…!_ ”

A few seconds later, Snatcher’s arm hit the tree violently. He screamed from the pain, the latter intensified from how cold he was- but he didn’t have time to linger on it any longer. The shock made him lose his balance and he fell forward into the snow, forcing the air out of his lungs again. But before he could do anything…

_A white, blinding flash made him shut his eyes hard_.

-“What is-” Vanessa’s voice echoed behind him, but at least the light had made her stop.

He had managed to do it, he had done it, he had saved his team, this-

However, his train of thoughts was cut short as he felt his conscience blacking out for a short moment- perhaps an effect of the Time Piece? In any case, his mind seemed to have shut off for a few seconds, perhaps a few minutes, he couldn’t quite tell. Yet, when he came back to his senses, something felt… _Different_. Different just like when he had woken up in that body, different as if he were in a carnal envelope that wasn’t his, one that was both familiar and unfamiliar. But this wasn’t the time for this, no! He was still in danger, he-!

Snatcher turned back, quickly changing side to face the source of the danger- And immediately, his eyes fell on the Queen, who had been covering his eyes, her red glowing eyes… Just like him, the violent flash had blinded her, forcing her to shut her eyes. Her black, disheveled hair was flying with the wind, her black dress following that same dance. Groans left her mouth as she finally lowered her clawed hands…

And their eyes met.

“ _This is it,_ ” realized the young man internally with horror: “ _this is how I’m gonna die._ ”

But Vanessa merely stared at him, as if her mind was processing something, as if she was trying to make sense of something she was seeing. What… What was going on? Why wasn’t she killing him now? She was having the perfect chance to! She looked away, her eyes scanning their surroundings, searching for something that wasn’t there anymore. Confusion spread on her face, and when she glanced back at him, she seemed even more perplexed.

Snatcher was completely paralyzed in fear, his eyes fixed on her, terror visible on his features. His body was trembling- but he wasn’t as cold as before. Actually, he was feeling much better, strangely! His lungs didn’t hurt anymore, he wasn’t feeling as tired as before… He felt pretty good actually, and he was not as much out of breath as he had first thought.

He frowned, confused and afraid, not daring to move. What was…

But his thoughts died down when Vanessa’s voice brought him back to reality:

-“Oh…” She let out a surprised and yet mother like sound, tilting her head on the side, a smile appearing on her face.

What… What was happening, whydid she- Snatcher’s thoughts became completely silent as his eyes fell onto his hands. They were… Much smaller than before, weren’t they…? And these clothes… He wasn’t wearing this, he was wearing something else before…! Why did those clothes seem so familiar? Why did this body looked so small, so frai-

Oh no.

-“My, what are you doing here…?” wondered the Queen with a coo, as she crouched to his level. Her expression had softened and she looked nothing like the monster who had been chasing him down: “Do I know you…?” she asked, waiting for an answer, her confusion having visibly calmed her down.

_Oh no_.

Snatcher crawled away : this couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be possible, this-

His eyes moved to the shiny object next to them, to the hourglass that had been sitting in the snow after he had broke it. It was back to its previous state, unbroken. The little girls’ words immediately came back to his mind as his eyes couldn’t look away from the glowing artefact.

“ _But… It wouldn’t work in your case,_ ” they had told him: “ _Because if you broke it again, you would just… **Get younger**. You wouldn’t go back to **being dead**._”

Snatcher hadn’t saved the others. No, on the contrary…

_He had gotten younger instead_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...... heheheheHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS FORESHADOWING COMING !! HA !
> 
> Hm. Anyway.  
> I hope you liked this chapter !! Thank you for following my work and for being patient with me, it means a lot.


	21. “Don’t come any closer!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snatcher learns that being younger doesn't bring many perks in a dangerous situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people ! New chapter (although a bit shorter than usual, because my inspiration isn't easy to summon, these days... I hope it's still okay !)
> 
> Thank you so much for your comments ! I haven't found the time and opportunity to answer them, but I promise I will ! Even if I don't answer right away, know that I'm always so, so glad to read your impression on this fanfic ! Thank you so much, they mean a lot to me !
> 
> Also, if you're interested, I am the moderator of a AHIT server with two friends (Hatty Fan Time) ! You can join anytime you want if you're interested !  
> Here's the link to join : https://discord.gg/Gfs8HTu
> 
> Anyway ! The "Oh The Humanity" AU belongs to doodledrawsthings ! (https://doodledrawsthings.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Also, you can see more of my art/fanfictions on my art blog : https://erekiosuncreativeideas.tumblr.com/
> 
> Happy reading !

Snatcher couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe- his eyes were fixed on the Queen’s, who was staring at him with curiosity and with confusion. But that wasn’t so surprising, especially given her unstable mind. After all, she had been chasing her dear Prince down… Only for him to disappear and leave his place to a kid that looked exactly the same as he did when he was younger.

Because, well, that was what had happened. Snatcher had broken the Time Piece, hoping to save the rest of his group… But only managing to turn his body to what it used to be hundreds of years ago, when he was just a young Prince being taught manners and how to become the perfect heir… It all went to waste in the end, when his bright future was shattered as he was locked up in a cellar, left to die.

And now, his murderer was standing right in front of him, crouched to his level, staring at him with great interest. Why… Why wasn’t she killing him? She hadn’t had any remorse to murder the hatted brat and Moonjumper, just like the entirety of Subcon Village centuries ago! So why was this time so different? What was the reason? She didn’t seem to notice he was, well, _him_ , so…

-“Cat got your tongue?” she joked, smiling at him, her head tilted to the side. How could she smile when she had just killed two people, possibly three- no, she hadn’t had the time to kill the bow-wearing child. She had been too busy chasing him to do so. Nonetheless, the way she could just behave that way after everything she did… _It made him livid_.

How dared she?!

-“Don’t come any closer!” The now young Prince outstretched his arms in front of him as a threat. Under strong emotions, the former ghost’s powers had manifested much more than what he had first thought. Ice melted against fire… And he would not hesitate to use magic, not only to defend himself, but also to eliminate Vanessa once and for all, avenging all the people she had murdered. With how furious he was, it would be easy to summon at least enough flames to make her step back- however, all he could do was to summon two small flames on each forefinger.

What the…

His eyes widened, looking at his own hands, a mix of confusion and horror spreading inside him. Why…?! He had been able to summon them perfectly earlier, so why was this time so different! Was it because he had acted on instinct back then? What about now, wasn’t he currently acting on instinct? This couldn’t be it, this had to be something else, something that _just made sense_ \- And then, it hit him.

He was a kid again, frail, fragile… And around the same age as his old self when he had started to learn how to summon flames, when all he could do was summoning small, little fires out of his fingers. When he was…

_Completely harmless, with no possibility of using his powers for his own survival_.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he glanced back to Vanessa, scared of the way she might react, the flames dying down on his fingers. Fire magic had always been passed from one generation to another in his family. He himself had inherited it from his mother, and Vanessa knew this too, as her own lineage had been gifted with ice magic.

And now the latter had everything in front of her to recognize him, to see past his frail and childish appearance- this was over, now, wasn’t it? She was going to realize who he really was, that her “dear Prince” had never disappeared out of nowhere, that he had just gotten younger from a bad, very bad decision. What was she going to do…? Freeze him to death? Hurt him? Would she… _Take him back to the cellar_? His face paled at the thought and his limbs started shaking.

_He couldn’t go back there, no, he couldn’t_ -

-“Oh…!” the Queen’s voice interrupted his train of thoughts and his breathing rhythm quickened in consequence: “Where… Where did you learn that?” she suddenly asked, confusion and suspicion written all over her ghostly face. At this moment, Snatcher knew she had caught on his fire magic… Yet, she hadn’t seemed to understand who he truly was… _Yet_.

He had to find something, quick! Considering the way she was staring at him, trying to determine who he was, this was his last and only chance to convince her he was just a normal kid. But, then again, would it be a good idea? The hatted brat had been a complete stranger to her, and she hadn’t even hesitated in freezing her to death…

At the thought of the little girl, Snatcher clenched his jaw. She hadn’t deserved to die like this… Sure, he had wanted her dead for so long, but… _Not like this_! Not by Vanessa’s hand.

Did his attempt with the Time Piece even worked…? Or was his age the only thing that had changed…? He couldn’t know. And if it _did_ work, then… Then he would need to buy some time. For now, this was all he could do. Thus, the _little boy_ straightened up and forced himself to keep a neutral expression, swallowing his fear back. This was his only chance, he couldn’t mess up…!

-“I… I learnt that all by myself,” he answered, doing his best to sound confident.

This was not successful, as his voice broke near the end, something he tried to hide with a cough. Fortunately for him, Vanessa apparently didn’t notice it, tilting her head more as she listened to his answer.

-“… You look like him so much,” was what she replied, her voice full of nostalgia… _And suspicion_. She was on the verge of finding out who he was, who he really was… And perhaps the reason she still hadn’t figured it out was because of her mental instability. He had to use this!

-“L-like who?” he stammered, yet frowned, trying to look confused himself. However, this wasn’t so easy to fake an emotion while facing his own murderer. Then again, it would all depend on Vanessa’s unstable mind. It was so frustrating to put his own life and possibly his team’s on the line, just to hope the Queen would believe his lies.

Well, she hadn’t believed him when he had told her the truth, centuries ago… Maybe, now, she would see his lies as truth?

-“No one,” Vanessa lied and shook her head, looking a bit more… Relaxed, her eyes staring into space, and Snatcher wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. Well, at least, she hadn’t killed him yet, so it was most likely the latter, so far…

The former ghost took advantage of her brief inattention to crawl away through the deep snow, hoping she wouldn’t see him or wouldn’t catch the movement in the corner of her vision- but she did. When her red eyes glanced back at him, his entire body froze.

-“Tell me, little one,” she smiled at him again, and Snatcher couldn’t help but shiver at the sight- he was not reassured in the least: “Why don’t you come home with me?” she offered, suddenly much more joyful than before. She clasped her hands together, her thin and long clawed fingers intertwining with one another… Gods, this was a terrifying sight, and her intonation didn’t help either.

-“H-home…?” repeated the former shade, not only taken aback but also shocked by the offer. Oh, this was bad, very, very bad… The mere thought of going back to that _cursed place_ was enough to get him to tremble even more, terrible and traumatizing memories coming back to haunt him. If he followed her there… He was sure he wouldn’t come out of it unscathed.

… _If he even survived in that last case, that was_.

The _child_ shook his head, faking a smile on his face, though it looked nothing like one. Instead, it just looked like a nervous grin, one that was all but genuine. He couldn’t go there, no, _he couldn’t_ …!

-“N…No, thanks,” he refused politely, his body moving on its own again as Snatcher started to crawl back once more. The snow was crackling at each of his movement, the sound seeming louder than it really was, under the thick tension in the air. However… Before he was able to do anything else, the Queen threw herself forward, quickly grabbing his left wrist with an unnatural speed. Yet, what stroke him the most was how _cold_ her grip was. Snatcher felt like he was directly touching some ice- no, it was even _colder_ than that.

In any case, it made him stop immediately, his wide eyes staring into the monster his fiance had become. His face was now deadly pale: what would she do to him…? Was she going to kill him on the spot…? Vanessa’s grip was strong- _too strong_ , and for a moment, the former ghost felt his weak bones crack a bit under the pressure. Her face was… Different than before, more severe, more… _Irritated_. It didn’t take much more for him to wince and let out a whine both of pain and fear, clear indications of his suffering… It was only there that the Queen’s grip loosened a bit, changing into _motherlike caresses_ on the back of his left hand.

Snatcher’s heart was pounding in his chest, the beating of his own heart echoing in his ears, his breath getting quicker and quicker… His eyes kept flickering between hers and his hand, hoping she wouldn’t change her mind and break his wrist in the end. Yet, she just kept rubbing his skin… As a new, terrifying smile crept its way on her lips, her fangs now visible more than ever before.

This sight was absolutely terrifying for Snatcher- and for a reason he couldn’t quite place yet, he felt tears filling his eyes, without being able to control them. What was happening to him…? Vanessa noticed them at the same time and approached her free hand to his face, wiping his tears off his eyes. Of course, having such dangerous, long, clawed fingers near his eyes was something Snatcher wanted to avoid at all cost… It wasn’t like he could do anything other than closing his eyes, a pitiful whine escaping his lips.

Snatcher was… _Terrorized_ , unable to do anything but just staying still and wait.

-“There, there,” Vanessa tried to soothe him, though it was more than unsuccessful, for very obvious reasons: “It’s okay, don’t worry… Come with me, it’s dangerous out there. I could bake you some cookies! Would you like that?”

The former shade’s eyes widened once more as he heard her words, her offer. It wasn’t one, he knew that. She wasn’t _asking_ him to come, no… This was nothing but an order, a polite one, but also one that he had no other choice but to follow. Oh, sure, he was already imagining lots and lots of scenarios where he would run away, trying to flee… But he knew very well that Vanessa would be quick to catch him again. And after that? It would only depend on how annoyed she would become because of his actions… However, he was almost certain this wouldn’t just result in a little slap on his hand.

He had been shackled for so long in a cellar just for _talking_ to a woman he didn’t even know that much. How would she even react with him trying to run away? He was too scared to try… And this body, this small and even more fragile one, seemed to lack the strength and courage to even think of running away.

Had his mind become… Younger too, somehow…? He didn’t want to think about it, and even if he did… This really wasn’t the time for it.

Before he was able to answer, the Queen pulled him back up with a strength that was unexpected coming from her. She never let go of his hand, on the contrary: her grip had become tighter as if she had guessed Snatcher’s plans of escaping.

-“Now, now,” she told him with a tone that was too nice to be true: “It’s unpolite to refuse a lady’s offer, you know? It’s okay, though,” she continued, before a voice changed to something more… Dangerous.

-“You look like a nice child. Teaching you manners doesn’t seem impossible…”

The Queen pulled him closer again as she started to walk, walk towards a place he knew all too well. The former shade tried to resist, tried to get his hand back, wanted nothing more than just to run away and never look back- but he knew he couldn’t. First, he was aware Vanessa wouldn’t let him do anything… And he had still something left to do.

Avenge his counterpart and the hatted brat. No, he would not let Vanessa go away with this…

-“Come on,” she urged him, still pulling him forward, ignoring his attempts at getting free: “A man shouldn’t make a lady wait~!”

Snatcher had no other choice but to follow, already fearing for what was to come. What would happen to him…? To the bow-wearing kid, still trapped in her ice prison…? The _little boy_ knew she was clever and find a way to escape- that was, unless the blizzard killed her first. Unfortunately… Vanessa seemed more than determined to prevent him from saving his ex-contractor.

Snatcher was scared, no, he was terrified… _He knew he had all the reasons to be_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your support, it means so much to me !  
> See you on the next chapter !
> 
> You can join the AHIT discord I made with friends, with this link : https://discord.gg/Gfs8HTu


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